Two people were sickened and more than 100 others were evacuated after a nitric acid spill in Zhejiang Province, east China on Tuesday, according to the local government.

A firefighter works at the scene of a chemical spill from a truck carrying 29 tons of nitric acid in Ningbo City, in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008. [Photo: chinanews.com]

A truck carrying 29 tons of nitric acid exploded after smashing into a guard rail along the road at about 9:47 AM in Ningbo City, causing a leak of all the chemicals into a river close to a nearby residential community.

The two drivers suffered burning of their respiratory tracts and were unable to talk at the time. They were not in life danger, the municipal government said.

More than 100 residents were evacuated but returned home in the afternoon after the accident was cleared.

Rescuers poured a large amount of alkali into the river until tests indicated the water and air didn't pose a danger to the public.

An initial investigation showed the two men had been driving for too long and were exhausted when the accident happened.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2008)