BEIJING, March 30 (UPI) -- A chemical spill caused when a tanker and a truck collided on a highway in east China killed two people and injured more than 300, Xinhua reported Wednesday.
The tanker, carrying 30 tons of liquefied chlorine, had a tire blowout causing it to slam into a cargo truck at approximately 7:00 p.m. Tuesday. Both heavy vehicles overturned, killing one driver, the report said.
The accident took place near the city of Huai'an in Jiangsu province, on the highway between Beijing and Shanghai.
Chlorine spilling from the tanker spread over several villages, killing two people and sending more than 300 to hospitals with chemical poisoning.
Hazardous material crews were trying to contain the estimated ten tons of chlorine that remained in the leaking tanker. Xinhua said local officials had ordered the evacuation of 3,000 households while cleanup efforts were underway.
Huai'an, with a population of 750,000, is located on the northern Jiangsu plain. The city has four counties under its jurisdiction with a total population of almost 5.2 million.
