"Hundreds of people were evacuated from a city in Oklahoma and others were told to shelter in place after a tanker truck that was leaking in a hotel parking lot spewed a plume of anhydrous ammonia gas, authorities said Thursday. The gas release happened shortly before 10pm on Wednesday. People in the immediate area were in respiratory distress and at least 36 people were taken to a local hospital, city officials said at a news conference."
"At least 500 to 600 people were in a shelter by Thursday morning, authorities said. Several nursing homes were evacuated and schools were closed for the day. Authorities said the air quality was being monitored and that the tanker truck was no longer spewing gas. Anhydrous ammonia is used as a fertilizer to help provide nitrogen for corn and wheat plants."
An anhydrous ammonia tanker leaked in a hotel parking lot in Weatherford, Oklahoma, shortly before 10pm, releasing a toxic plume of gas. People in the immediate area experienced respiratory distress; at least 36 people were taken to a local hospital and hundreds were evacuated or sheltered. By Thursday morning, 500 to 600 people were in a shelter, several nursing homes were evacuated, and schools and Southwest Oklahoma State University canceled classes. Authorities monitored air quality and reported the tanker was no longer spewing gas while local law enforcement warned residents the air was unsafe to breathe. Anhydrous ammonia, used as fertilizer to provide nitrogen for corn and wheat, can burn on contact in gas or liquid form. Weatherford has about 12,000 residents and lies about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City; a similar leak last week in Mississippi also prompted evacuations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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