Chinese chemical spill kills 1, injures 126

BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) Toxic chemicals that leaked from a tanker truck in China's central Hubei Province killed one person and left more than 120 others hospitalised, the official Xinhua news agency reported today.

Police said dimethyl sulfate, a carcinogen that can cause severe external burns and damage internal organs if ingested, leaked from a crack in a tanker that was not properly registered to carry the chemical, according to the report.

The tanker, registered to the Jinlong Chemical Co., leaked the substance on Tuesday along a 5-kilometre (3-mile) stretch of No. 107 National Highway near Xiaogan City in Hubei province, Xinhua said.

The driver of a car traveling behind the tanker died after inhaling poisonous fumes, and 126 villagers, passers-by and others were taken to hospital with chest pains and stinging eyes, according to the report.

The tanker's driver and a passenger were among those hospitalised. They initially fled but later turned themselves in to authorities, Xinhua said.

REUTERS PDM PM2044