A man who was trapped in a wrecked car has been rescued and taken to hospital following a road crash that left 24 tons of a highly toxic and explosive chemical leaking from a tanker truck in northeast China on Tuesday.

The man was seriously injured, but not in a critical condition, said a spokesman with the Fire-control Bureau of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province.

The accident happened on an expressway in Liaozhong County, 50 kilometers west of Shenyang at around 2:20 PM when the two vehicles collided.

The leaking chemical acrylonitrile had been contained by experts sent by the company that owned the tanker. The remaining chemical was transferred to another tanker, said a bureau spokesman.

By 7:00 PM, the expressway section linking Liaozhong and Shenyang had reopened, he said.

The drivers of the two vehicles had been rescued before the sole car passenger who was left trapped in the damaged car.

More than 20 fire engines had been dispatched to the site by the fire-control authorities of Shenyang.

Acrylonitrile is a colorless liquid chemical with a sharp onion or garlic-like odor. It can be dissolved in water and evaporates quickly.

The toxic chemical may harm the nervous system and lungs and causes breathing difficulties and headaches if inhaled. It can also burn the skin.

Local environment authorities are testing soil and underground water in the area for contamination.

The local government has no immediate plan to evacuate residents as there is no river nearby and the nearest village is about three kilometers away, while the villagers have been warned not to use underground water before it is tested as safe.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2007)