The driver of a truck licensed in Hebei Province stopped on the
shoulder of the Baotou section of National Highway 110 to change a
tire at about 4:00 AM, May 7. When a second truck collided with his
parked vehicle, 35 tons of muriatic acid were sent spilling across
the road.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but local highway
authorities said that the acid had greatly eroded the highway,
causing economic losses of about 40,000 yuan (US$4,900).
The spill also polluted the environment. The Baotou
Environmental Protection Bureau dispatched an emergency team to
scatter five tons of lime on the road, but the industrial-use
muriatic acid covered the area in a foul-smelling acid fog until
8:30 AM.
Police officers working at the scene all showed symptoms of
illness from the fumes.
Traffic on the road had returned to normal by 10:00 AM. The two
trucks have been impounded for further investigation, and the area
will be observed and tested for any further indication of
environmental pollution.
(China.org.cn by Tang Fuchun May 9, 2004)