Belgrade: Several people were hospitalised after a freight train carrying ammonia derailed in eastern Serbia on Sunday.
The ammonia leak caused “51 cases of poisoning”, said Vladan Vasic, the mayor of the city of Pirot where the accident occurred.
A state of emergency was declared in the town of Pirot, with authorities telling residents not to leave their homes.
Because of limited visibility reportedly caused by the leak, several cars crashed on the main highway that leads to Bulgaria at a time of busy traffic because of the Christmas holidays.
Police closed the highway and redirected traffic to local roads. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the train to derail.
The 20-carriage train was transporting toxic materials from neighbouring Bulgaria, officials said.
Ammonia gas leaks can be flammable and can cause serious injury or even death.