About 200 rescue workers have been called over a major sulfuric acid leak on the production site of an automotive supplier in Ilsenburg, Germany, local media report. Many had to wear special protective suits to handle the release of the dangerous chemical, which can destroy skin and flesh in its concentrated form. They were able to remove the corrosive substance with special binding material by Sunday afternoon. The owner of the premises has now been tasked with the further clean up.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 2 a.m. on the premises of a company that works with aluminium. About 2.000-4.000 litres of sulfuric acid simply spilled all over the premises, as the company’s head of operations Michael Voigt told the German outlet Bild, however, what initially caused the leak is unclear.
The supplier’s 25 employees were evacuated and sent to hospitals over fears that they may have inhaled toxic fumes before they could go home. Locals were asked to keep windows and doors closed, while the site and the area nearby are cleaned. Initially, around 180 rescue works were sent to the site, however, extra specialists were called out to clean the leak in the morning.