Thousands of people were evacuated on Friday as toxic fumes
following a chlorine leak filled the air in Jiangbei District of
southwest China's Chongqing
Municipality, officials and eyewitness said.
To date, about 10 workers at the Tianyuan Chemical Industry
Plant, where the accident happened, have reported minor respiratory
symptoms but are not in danger, said Miao Guangkui, head of the
rescue team at the scene said.
A large amount of chlorine gas was released into the air
beginning late Thursday night when a leakage accident occurred at
the city's Tianyuan Chemical Industry Plant. Minor explosions were
recorded later, said Vice Mayor Zhou Mubing, who guided the rescue
work at the scene.
All residents
living within one kilometer of the spot and some citizens living in
an urban area facing the plant on the other side of Jialing River
were evacuated, Zhou said.
"At least 4,000 people were forced to leave," said a driver who
helped move people away from nearby areas.
It was the third chlorine gas leakage at the plant since last
year, said a worker at the plant, who declined to be named. Sources
said the municipal government planned to move the chemical plant
employing about 2,000 workers from downtown areas to Wanzhou
District, a new city zone located in the Three Gorges Reservoir
area.
The pressure inside the chlorine furnace dropped to 0.25
kilogram per square centimeters from 1.5 kilograms per square
centimeters after experts discharged half of the liquefied chlorine
in three furnaces.
?
"The emergency has been basically solved," said Miao Guangkui,
head of the rescue team.
Local residents will have to wait until 18:00 Friday after the
area is declared totally safe again, rescue workers said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2004)