One dead, 16 injured after chemical leak at Czech plant

PRAGUE: One man died and 16 were injured in a toxic phenol leak at a chemical plant in the northwestern Czech city of Decin on Thursday, rescuers said. "One man in serious condition, who was already resuscitated on the spot, died at an intensive care unit this afternoon," Ivo Chrastecky, spokesman for the Krajska zdravotni company running hospitals in the region, told AFP.

The injured, who inhaled the volatile substance or were burnt, were taken to hospitals in the region. Two women were in intensive care on Thursday afternoon. The leak from a tank truck occurred at the Chemotex plant, which produces cosmetics and other chemicals, around 0530 GMT.

A hose burst where the phenol was being pumped, said Decin city hall. No security measures have been taken in the city of 50,000 people as the substance did not leak outside the company premises, city officials added. Chemotex, which employs about 90 staff, suspended production after the accident.