One person has died and dozens have been poisoned after a train carrying ammonia and other toxic substances from Bulgaria derailed and overturned its cargo near Pirot in Serbia.
The train carrying toxic materials was loaded in Bulgaria – in Devnya. The train had 20 carriages.
Due to reduced visibility on the nearby highway to Bulgaria, road accidents have occurred. The police closed the highway.
“Seven people were taken to a hospital in Nis (the closest major city),” said Vladan Vasic, mayor of the city of Pirot. He reported 51 poisoned.
One of the emergency patients at Pirot hospital has died.
The train derailed in the evening. There is an “ammonia leak and the release of a large amount of gas into the atmosphere,” the interior ministry said in an official statement.
A state of emergency has been declared in the affected part of the town of Pirot of 60,000 and authorities have urged residents to stay in their homes.
Immediately after the accident, 27 firefighters with 10 fire engines were sent to the scene. Rail traffic on this line has been suspended. Due to poor visibility, traffic between Pirot and Bela Palanka on the main road was stopped. The alternative route is through Ponor village.
The company “Serbia Cargo” reported that it is a cargo train that runs daily on the Nis-Dimitrovgrad route and transports raw materials from Bulgaria to Prahovo and Shabac.
Chemical waste from Bulgaria was also transported in the carriages of the derailed train, AFP said.
The owner of the online portal Pirot plus, Nenad Paunović, previously told H1 that in the 30-kilometer stretch from Bela Palanka to Pirot, a strong smell of ammonia can be felt and visibility is very poor.
“The residents of Pirot are very scared and no one leaves the house,” Paunovic stressed.
At least one of the tankers fell into the bed of the Nishava River. Authorities have tried to reassure locals that the water supply has not been affected. However, in Bela Palanka municipality, residents have been warned not to use tap water for drinking and cooking.
The cause of the train derailment is not yet known.
