Society

Three poisoned by chemical leak in E China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-29 16:20

HANGZHOU - Three people were poisoned in a chemical spill after a tanker carrying a toxic chemical and two trucks smashed into each other Sunday noon in east China's Zhejiang Province, local fire authorities said Monday.

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A tanker carrying 30 tonnes of isopropylamine was involved in a crash with two trucks Sunday noon in the countryside of Quzhou City, which resulted in the chemical leaking out, vaporizing, and slightly poisoning three workers at a nearby factory, said Hu Xiaofan with the city's fire brigade.

The workers were rushed to hospital, along with the two truck drivers who sustained physical injures in the crash, Xu said.

Firefighters evacuated the factory and the hole in the tanker was blocked about two hours later. The chemical leak did not have a major affect on the environment, Xu said.

The flammable and toxic isopropylamine is mainly used to produce pesticide.

Roads which had been closed because of the accident were reopened Sunday night, he added.