Chlorine gas leakage poisons 60 people in central Iran

TEHRAN: Sixty people were poisoned on Sunday due to chlorine gas leakage in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, reported quoting official news agency IRNA.

At 13:40 local time (1010 GMT), it was reported that a semi-trailer truck carrying chlorine gas cylinders had overturned on an intercity road in Shahreza County, 80 km south of the provincial capital Isfahan.

Following the accident, rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene, Mansour Shishehforoush, director general of the provincial crisis management department, was quoted as saying.

Due to the chlorine gas leakage from one of the cylinders, 60 people in nearby areas suffered pulmonary toxicity and were immediately transferred to medical centres, said Shishehforoush.

He added that teams from the provincial crisis management department, the Red Crescent Society, traffic police, and law enforcement agencies had restored safety in the area, allowing the road where the incident took place to reopen.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA