RAIL IS SAFER
‘Multiple people’ dead, evacuations ordered after Illinois crash involving semitruck carrying toxic ammonia2023/09/30
Five people died in an Illinois crash involving multiple vehicles, including a semitruck carrying ammonia, according to police. - Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS
A crash involving multiple vehicles — including a semitruck carrying ammonia — in south-central Illinois has killed “multiple people” and prompted the evacuation of parts of an Effingham County village, authorities said Saturday morning.
The incident happened Friday night on Route 40 east of Teutopolis, just before 9 p.m. local time, Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns told reporters during a Saturday news conference.
Teutopolis is a village of around 1,600 people located 90 miles southeast of state capital Springfield.
The incident caused “a large plume, cloud of anhydrous ammonia on the roadway that caused terribly dangerous air conditions in the northeast area of Teutopolis,” Kuhns said.
County Coroner Kim Rhode initially told reporters that one person was dead and five others had been taken to nearby hospitals. But in a 6 a.m. update, authorities said the number of fatalities had grown to five, according to local TV station WCLA.
Kuhns later confirmed “multiple” people had died, but said he didn’t have “the exact number.”
People within a mile radius of the crash were asked to evacuate immediately due to the toxic chemical plume. Residents who live west of the crash scene were asked to shelter in place, local radio station 979XFM reported.
Exposure to anhydrous ammonia gas can cause severe respiratory and ocular damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A shelter for those asked to evacuate was set up at a nearby school, WTHI-TV reported.
Crews were still working to contain the leak around 9 a.m.
“We have a lot of brave firemen, EMT, hazmat specialists, police officers that are working on the scene as we speak,” Kuhns said.
© New York Daily News
A crash involving multiple vehicles — including a semitruck carrying ammonia — in south-central Illinois has killed “multiple people” and prompted the evacuation of parts of an Effingham County village, authorities said Saturday morning.
The incident happened Friday night on Route 40 east of Teutopolis, just before 9 p.m. local time, Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns told reporters during a Saturday news conference.
Teutopolis is a village of around 1,600 people located 90 miles southeast of state capital Springfield.
The incident caused “a large plume, cloud of anhydrous ammonia on the roadway that caused terribly dangerous air conditions in the northeast area of Teutopolis,” Kuhns said.
County Coroner Kim Rhode initially told reporters that one person was dead and five others had been taken to nearby hospitals. But in a 6 a.m. update, authorities said the number of fatalities had grown to five, according to local TV station WCLA.
Kuhns later confirmed “multiple” people had died, but said he didn’t have “the exact number.”
People within a mile radius of the crash were asked to evacuate immediately due to the toxic chemical plume. Residents who live west of the crash scene were asked to shelter in place, local radio station 979XFM reported.
Exposure to anhydrous ammonia gas can cause severe respiratory and ocular damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A shelter for those asked to evacuate was set up at a nearby school, WTHI-TV reported.
Crews were still working to contain the leak around 9 a.m.
“We have a lot of brave firemen, EMT, hazmat specialists, police officers that are working on the scene as we speak,” Kuhns said.
© New York Daily News
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