Chemical leak kills 6 in China, 28 other fall sick

Six persons died and 28 others fell sick after a hydrogen sulfide leak at a fertiliser plant in southwest China, officials said.

A malfunctioning valve at the factory near Kunming in Yunnan province triggered a rapid outflow of sodium sulphide into phosphoric acid slot, generating a huge amount of hydrogen sulphide that poisoned the operators and bystanders, Long Yuhui, deputy head of the provincial work safety administration, said.

The injured were in a “stable condition”, Long was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.

The leak was capped shortly after the accident by local safety authorities, it said. Hydrogen sulphide leak had caused deaths of 243 people in December 2003 near Kaixian County in Chongqing Municipality.