18 March 2007
Ammonia Leak Forces Evacuations
Lake City Minnisota USA - Authorities evacuated residents
from several homes in this southern Minnesota community after anhydrous ammonia leaked from a railway tank car yesterday.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, the Wabasha County sheriff's office said.
The leaking car was part of an Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad train operating on Canadian Pacific tracks, railway officials said.
The leaking car was moved five kilometres south into an unpopulated area, authorities said. However, the fumes kept building and the
evacuation began around 7:45 a.m. Other residents were urged to stay indoors.
U.S. Highway 61 along the Mississippi River was closed from Lake City south to Wabasha.
Anhydrous ammonia can be extremely toxic and may be fatal if inhaled. The vapours are irritating and corrosive, according to the
federal Emergency Response Guidebook.
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