Chlorine spill poisons 300 in China
A tire on a truck carrying liquid chlorine burst, causing the vehicle to hit another truck and overturn in eastern China, spilling the chemical and poisoning 300 nearby villagers, the government said today. Three people were killed, and 3,000 evacuated from the area.
The truck was carrying 30 tons and travelling on the main expressway between Beijing and Shanghai when the incident occurred yesterday evening near Huaian, a city in Jiangsu province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Both trucks overturned and one driver was killed instantly, Xinhua said. The report did not say which one.
The chlorine leaked and sickened the residents of a nearby village, it said. Two died and the rest were in hospital, the report said, without giving any more details.
It said some 3,000 people in the area have been evacuated and the site was being cleaned.
By this morning, Xinhua said, some 10 tons of chlorine were still on the truck.
