A freight train in Lviv, Ukraine derailed, caught fire and spilled a toxic chemical, releasing the fumes into the air early Tuesday morning (local time) and people who live near the site of the crash are still getting sick. Officials say that the air that surrounds at least 14 villages near the scene is at least 23% above normal limitations.
So far 70 people, 19 of those are children, have been hospitalized after they were poisoned by the fumes from train cars filled with yellow phosphorous. That number is up compared to 15 which were seeking medical attention on Tuesday.
“I can say we have resolved the situation by extinguishing those tankers. Now we need to talk about dealing with the aftermath of this breakdown,” said Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s Prime Minister.
“This is a dangerous substance … It is highly flammable and causes burns and choking,” said Greenpeace Russia toxic gas expert, Alexei Kiselev.
The European Union has stated that they will continue to monitor the gas cloud saying that toxic gas clouds do not “respect borders” of countries and will travel.
The train was shipping cargo from Kazakhstan to Poland when it derailed. Authorities have ruled out sabotage and terrorism as playing a role in the crash and are still investigating the accident. At least 15 cars, of the 58 the train was pulling, derailed and or tipped over.
Water and local crops are said to not be affected by the chemical spill.
