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Nectar Gan

An ammonia leak at a chemical factory in Henan province left at least 20 people ill - five with severe symptoms - the mainland media has reported.
A pipeline transporting ammonia at a chemical factory in Shilong district of Pingdingshan city ruptured at around 6.30am yesterday.
About 300kg of ammonia leaked for 15 minutes, creating low-hanging white fog around the area, before the factory brought the situation under control, according to an official statement from the district government.
It said no ammonia was detected in the air about three hours after the rupture.
Photos circulating on social media showed dead dogs, birds and frogs on the ground, and villagers said some children had coughed up blood after inhaling the chemical, according to mainland media.
"Around 5.40am, there was suddenly the sound of an explosion. It was very loud," villager Sun Wenzhen was quoted as saying by The Beijing News.

After the blast, the white fog began to emerge, covering the village, Sun recalled. "There was a pungent smell. One could tell it was ammonia right away," he said.
"Some people passed out and others coughed blood," Sun said, adding that the more than 100 pigs in his farm were foaming at the mouth.
Another villager said several children in the village were foaming at the mouth or coughing up blood. "There was a child running past my doorstep, with blood running out of his nose and mouth. My son was so scared [by the sight] and wouldn't stop crying," the villager was quoted as saying.
Some people passed out and others coughed blood
Villager Sun Wenzhen
The villager's mother added: "The child was about seven or eight years old. He's from the neighbouring village. He was running, led by his father, with a hand covering his mouth. There were blood stains on his clothes and his hand."
She said she had just returned from the hospital and was still feeling dizzy and nauseous.
Photos posted by a provincial television broadcaster and circulated on social media showed dead dogs, sparrows and frogs on the ground. Plants had withered and turned yellow.
The official statement did not report any deaths, but Sun said a villager in his 70s died after the leak.

Another villager said the victim, Zhang Chang, died on the way to hospital.
The mainland has a notoriously bad record for industrial and workplace safety.
In August, massive explosions at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people.
The warehouse was located within 600 metres of a residential complex.
Ten days after the Tianjin blasts, a chemical plant in Shandong province exploded, killing one person and injuring nine others.
In 2013, an ammonia leak from an industrial refrigeration plant in Shanghai killed at least 15 people and left another 25 injured. It was later discovered that a cap on a pipe carrying the liquid ammonia had fallen off.


Children cough blood and animals die as Chinese factory leaks ammonia

A woman lies on the ground waiting to be taken to hospital. Photo: ChinaFotoPress

Low-hanging white fog envelops the area. Photo: ChinaFotoPress

A dog thought to have died from inhaling the ammonia. Photo: ChinaFotoPress

I thought I was going to die: Tianjin residents recall their long night of fear

A fireball lights up Tianjin after a dangerous goods depot exploded on Wednesday.Photo: Imaginechina

China begins nationwide nuclear safety checks after deadly Tianjin explosions

Chinese workers leave the nuclear power plant in Qinshan, in Zhejiang province, which will be inspected as part of nationwide safety checks. Photo Reuters

Two satellite images, the first (left) taken on May 25 before the blasts, and the other from August 13, the day after the disaster. Photos: Skybox Imaging via Google

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China

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White fog blankets the ground after 300kg of the chemical spills at a factory in Henan province


Children cough blood and animals die as Chinese factory leaks ammonia

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}White fog blankets the ground after 300kg of the chemical spills at a factory in Henan province

White fog blankets the ground after 300kg of the chemical spills at a factory in Henan province