Sept 30 (Reuters) - A semi-truck carrying thousands of gallons of a toxic substance crashed in southern Illinois, and the multi-vehicle accident killed five people and left five seriously injured, officials said on Saturday.
Early estimates indicated that 4,000 gallons were spilled, leading to about 500 people being evacuated from the area, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said.
The accident led to an evacuation within a mile's radius of the crash due to the plume from ammonia leak, state police said.
Illinois State Police said it was notified about the crash "involving multiple vehicles, including a semi-truck that is leaking anhydrous ammonia."
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Louis, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler
Organizations:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, U.S . National Transportation Safety Board, Illinois State Police, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OSHA, CBS, Thomson
Locations:
Illinois, Teutopolis, Effingham County, St, Washington