Thousands of Germans evacuated for poisonous clouds

More than 2,000 people in northern Germany were evacuated after poisoning a poison from a factory into the environment.

The leak occurred in Kraft Foods' factory in the town of Bad Fallingbostel in northern Germany on October 15. Some workers accidentally dump nitric acid (HNO ₃ ) into a tank containing sodium hydroxide (NaOH) that causes a chemical reaction to take place. The gases produced after the reaction have escaped the factory. They can cause very scary consequences if exposed to human body, Berliner Post reports.

Hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to the factory
Kraft Foods Co., Ltd. to overcome chemical problems on October 15.

About 250 people working in the factory and 800 people living nearby must evacuate to ensure safety. After a while, local authorities decided to expand the danger zone by 500m, meaning that more than 1,000 people had to leave the house. All schools near the factory must be closed and a nearby highway is also blocked.

Firefighters find ways to cool down the tank to avoid explosion, but the situation is still more dangerous. The authorities called for the help of rescue teams from the nearby city of Hamburg. Soon after 700 firefighters appeared at the factory.

Electronic newspaper The Local quoted witnesses as saying, they saw scenes like a disaster film, with hundreds of experts wearing protective clothing. Stephen Meier, spokesman for the firefighting force, admitted that they could not control the situation quickly.

"We had to divide experts into groups and they took turns working after 20 minutes. They lacked protective clothing , " Meier said.