Chlorine Gas Leak Leaves 109 People Ill In Southwestern China

BEIJING, Aug 26 (AFP) - Two people are in a critical condition after potentially fatal chlorine gas leaked from cracks in a electrochemical plant in southwestern China and poisoned 109 people, state media reported Thursday.
The leak on Wednesday exposed more than 300 people living near the plant in Chenjiaying village, on the outskirts of Kunming in Yunnan province, to the poisonous gas for more than 40 minutes, the Xinhua news agency said.
People who had started coughing and had sore throats and eyes were hospitalised.
An initial investigation showed the gas seeped out from cracks in the plant's facilities caused by heavy rains, Xinhua said.
Operations at the plant were suspended and the broken facilities replaced, it said.