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Toxic cloud evacuation

— Photo: AP

Bruning cars of the train.

KIEV (Ukraine): Hundreds of Ukrainians were evacuated from their homes on Tuesday after a train derailed and released a cloud of toxic gas into the air that affected 14 villages. Twenty persons were poisoned and hospitalised, said the Defence Ministry, adding there was no threat to their lives. The freight train, carrying yellow phosphorus, derailed in western Ukraine late on Monday. Rescuers extinguished a fire that broke out in the highly toxic substance, which can catch fire spontaneously on contact with air at temperatures higher than 40 degrees Centigrade. It can cause liver damage if consumed. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, who was at the site, compared the accident to the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1986. “A disaster has happened. After the Chernobyl catastrophe we are dealing with a case that can pose a real threat for our people,” said Mr. Kuzmuk. The poison cloud produced by the fire affected 14 villages in an area of 90 sq km. — AP

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