The driver of a truck licensed in Hebei Province stopped on the shoulder of the Baotou section of National Highway 110 to change a tire at about 4:00 AM, May 7. When a second truck collided with his parked vehicle, 35 tons of muriatic acid were sent spilling across the road.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but local highway authorities said that the acid had greatly eroded the highway, causing economic losses of about 40,000 yuan (US$4,900).

The spill also polluted the environment. The Baotou Environmental Protection Bureau dispatched an emergency team to scatter five tons of lime on the road, but the industrial-use muriatic acid covered the area in a foul-smelling acid fog until 8:30 AM.

Police officers working at the scene all showed symptoms of illness from the fumes.

Traffic on the road had returned to normal by 10:00 AM. The two trucks have been impounded for further investigation, and the area will be observed and tested for any further indication of environmental pollution.

(China.org.cn by Tang Fuchun May 9, 2004)