A chlorine leak from a water treatment plant forced the evacuation of 5,000 people in the north-eastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang on Wednesday, reported dpa. The leak sent toxic chlorine gas over a nearby school and residential area of Yilan county, close to the provincial capital of Harbin, the official Xinhua news agency quoted local officials as saying. About 2,000 students and teachers from the school and 3,000 local residents were evacuated on Wednesday morning, the agency quoted county government official Zhao Changman as saying. It was not immediately clear if any of the evacuees required medical treatment, Zhao said. Firefighters were working to stop the leak, the agency said.
