At least 51 people were poisoned on Sunday (December 25th) evening in the region of Pirot, in southeastern Serbia, after ammonia leaked from a tank car following a train derailment, said the mayor of this city to the press.
“
There were 51 cases of poisoning.
Seven people were transported to (the hospital) of Nis
”, the nearest large city, said the mayor of Pirot Vladan Vasic, at a press conference.
He added that a state of emergency had been declared "
in part of Pirot
", a town of around 60,000 inhabitants, a measure which means in particular the closure of schools.
The train derailed in the early evening, which caused "
the leak (of ammonia) and the dispersion of a large quantity of gas into the atmosphere
", indicated the Ministry of the Interior in a press release.
The ministry called on residents of the area not to leave their homes.
Traffic was interrupted on several roads.
The train was made up of 20 tank cars carrying the toxic materials from neighboring Bulgaria, state-owned rail freight company Srbija Kargo said.
The company said the train derailed "
outside the urban area
" and that there were no casualties or injuries at the accident site.
A security perimeter of four kilometers has been set up as a precaution, according to the same source.
