A local community has just been hit with tragedy as a semitruck carrying toxic substances overturned on the road, causing the death of multiple individuals and prompting a massive evacuation of the nearby areas. The incident occurred late Friday night, September 29 near Teutopolis, Illinois.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene and are still there as of Saturday morning attempting to contain the cloud of anhydrous ammonia that was released from the tanker.
Multiple fatalities were reported after a tanker carrying anhydrous ammonia overturned in Illinois on Friday night, leading to a leak of the toxic gas and prompting residents within a one-mile radius of the crash site to evacuate, officials said. https://t.co/rEnWG0xMFz
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According to Sheriff Paul Kuhns at a press conference on Saturday, “We have a lot of brave firemen, EMTs, hazmat specialists and police officers working on this scene as we speak”.
Unfortunately he couldn’t provide exact numbers for how many people were killed or injured but did confirm “multiple fatalities”. Initially authorities believed there were five deaths but it turned out they were mistaken due to the confusion in the early aftermath.
The accident involved multiple vehicles including the tanker which took place about half a mile east of Teutopolis along U.S Highway 40 around 9:25 p.m., according to Illinois State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold.
Chief Tim McMahon from the Teutopolis Fire Protection District mentioned that after overturning into a ditch, the tanker began leaking its contents creating a large plume affecting air quality in northeast area of Teutopolis leading emergency responders having to wait until conditions improved before action could be taken.
Although Sheriff Kuhns said he wasn’t sure yet if those who died had been victims of either crash injuries or chemical leak inhalation effects, he urged residents for patience while they deal with evacuations and investigate further what happened during this tragedy due to hazardous air quality caused by anhydrous ammonia engulfing parts of Teutopolis over 92 miles southeast from Springfield (the capital city).
Anhydrous ammonia is extremely dangerous when inhaled since it can range from lung irritation up to severe respiratory issues with possibly death depending on concentrations; it’s also corrosive enough so as to burn skin and eyes if contact is made with it.
Emergency responders are currently preventing cars from driving in that area for safety reasons until its deemed safe enough for public use again but no confirmation has been given as yet when this might be possible.
