Hundreds of people were evacuated and dozens hospitalised after a tanker truck leaked anhydrous ammonia gas in a hotel car park in Weatherford, Oklahoma, on Wednesday evening. The leak occurred shortly before 10pm, prompting authorities to order evacuations and shelter-in-place measures.
At least 36 people were taken to a local hospital with respiratory distress, officials said at a news conference on Thursday. Between 500 and 600 people had gathered at a shelter by Thursday morning, while several nursing homes were evacuated and schools closed for the day.
Authorities confirmed the tanker was no longer leaking and that air quality was being monitored. Anhydrous ammonia, used as a fertiliser for crops such as corn and wheat, can cause burns upon contact with skin in gas or liquid form.
Local law enforcement warned residents that the air was unsafe to breathe. Southwest Oklahoma State University cancelled classes at its Weatherford campus on Thursday. The incident follows a similar anhydrous ammonia leak last week in Mississippi, caused by an explosion at a plant near Yazoo City.
