More than 50 people were injured, 15 seriously, in a chemical spill Tuesday on an industrial estate near Tamworth, central England, emergency services said.
The ambulance service said it had declared a major incident after the leak of titanium tetrachloride from a tank at an industrial plant.
Ambulance spokesman Bob Lee said 15 people were seriously hurt and at least 40 more injured.
Titanium tetrachloride turns to hazardous hydrogen chloride gas after it comes into contact with the air, Lee said, adding that the leak had been plugged.
"The casualties are being treated with drug therapy and oxygen and doctors are at the scene."
Emergency services sent a decontamination unit to the scene.
Lee said the gas caused breathing difficulties. "It is the sheer volume of the casualties that has led to us declaring it a major incident." -- LONDON (AFP)
