20,000 Evacuate China Ammonia Gas Leak

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2006/nov/01/110102409.html

BEIJING (AP) - An ammonia gas leak in central China killed one person, injured six and forced the evacuation of about 20,000 residents on Wednesday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Ammonia gas leaked out of a broken pipe at a chemical fertilizer factory in the Dawu county of Hubei province, leaving one of the workers dead, according to Xinhua.

The injured included three other factory workers, a firefighter, a student and a pregnant woman, and all were "out of critical condition," the agency said.

Workers closed the valve of the pipe to stop the leak, but 10 tons of ammonia gas had already escaped, Xinhua said, citing Chen Yixin, the assistant general manager of the Huangmailing Phosphorous Chemical Industry Group Company, which owns the factory.

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