A total of 25 people have been hospitalized with respiratory irritation after inhaling fumes following a chemical accident in Konstanz, a city in southern Germany on the border with Switzerland. This was reported by a police spokesperson.
Employees of a company that produces fruit preparation solutions for the food and beverage industry had detected a corrosive and steamy gas. That gas leaked from a tank in the basement.
It was about “a life-threatening situation”, but an employee responded quickly and did the right things, a fire brigade spokesperson said. Wearing full protection, he used a forklift to move the tank out of the building where the leaking gas could evaporate and stop causing damage. The area or local residents were not in danger and the man was unharmed.
According to the police spokeswoman, two chemicals were mixed in a 1,000-liter drum at the company on Thursday to make a cleaning agent for boilers. For unknown reasons, the temperature rose and a chemical reaction occurred, causing a highly toxic gas to leak and spread throughout the building.
If the tank had been left in the building, the gas could have damaged the lungs of the employees, it said.
A specialized company has been called in to remove the barrel.
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