A yellow cloud containing toxic substances leaked from a waste water disposal plant shrouded a residential zone in the southern port city of Busan Thursday, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.
Firefighters, police and government officials launched a joint operation to evacuate scores of residents from their homes around the plant when the cloud leaked through the plant's chimney and cracks spread at about 10:00 am (0100GMT).
Initially, the cloud was found to contain toxic substances such as nitrogen dioxide and acrylonitrile which could be fatal if inhaled. Environment officials concluded after a series of tests that the leakage was not serious and has a very low chance to cause fatal injuries.
For protection, residents living in a radius of one kilometer (0.62 miles) from the plant were asked to move to safety places. The evacuation order was withdrawn three hours later
Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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