Efforts going on to block chemical leak in China's Yunnan

Firefighters are speeding up their efforts to stop a chemical leak that happened Friday in southwest China's Yunan Province.

At 5:07 p.m., the fire brigade of Kunming, the province's capital, received a report that the toxic chemical n-Butylamine had leaked from a tank car carrying 32 tonnes of poisonous chemicals at the Anning East Tollgate. Rescue teams were immediately sent to the scene along with police and experts from the local environmental protection department.

As of 5:42 p.m., firefighters have cooled the vehicle and were using sand to block the leaked chemicals from further pollution. The remaining chemicals in the tank are being transfered to a new container.

Investigation of the accident is underway.

The liquid chemical of n-Butylamine is highly flammable, colorless and transparent, and toxic exposures are most likely to occur via inhalation and direct contact.