Five people were fatally poisoned and 11 others were injured in a hydrogen sulfide leak on Wednesday at a chemical plant in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, local authorities said.

The leak occurred at around 2:00 p.m. at the Chongqing Tesura Chemical Company in the city's Banan District.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. The factory was evacuated and the leak was contained.

Local environmental authorities continued to monitor the density of the poisonous gas in that area.

No other details were immediately available. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2008)