Desperate Escape by Car and Bicycle... Panic in Chinese City After Hydrogen Chloride Leak

In Sichuan Province, China, a chemical plant leak of hydrogen chloride, a highly acidic substance that turns into hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water, caused panic among residents who flooded the streets, escaping en masse by car, motorcycle, and bicycle, resulting in widespread chaos.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 23rd, on the morning of the 20th, the city of Leshan in Sichuan Province was suddenly covered by a whitish smoke that irritated the respiratory system.

As this news rapidly spread through the internet, including Weibo (China's version of Twitter), the city roads became congested with cars and motorcycles driven by citizens trying to escape.

The Leshan city authorities issued a statement on the night of the 21st confirming that a 'small amount' of hydrogen chloride gas had leaked from a polysilicon manufacturing plant in the Wutongqiao District, but stated that it posed no harm to humans. However, residents' anxiety has not subsided. Hydrogen chloride is a gas with a pungent smell that becomes hydrochloric acid when dissolved in water.

The city authorities added that the hydrogen chloride leak was caused by a malfunction that cut off water and electricity supply to the plant's exhaust gas treatment facilities.

In China, accidents such as chemical plant explosions often lead to major disasters. In March last year, a large explosion at a chemical industrial park in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, devastated the area, killing 78 people and injuring over 600.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.