Berlin:
About 1,400 people in a small town in northern Germany have been evacuated after an accident at a factory caused a cloud of toxic gas.
Authorities said on Tuesday that residents living around the Kraft Foods Germany factory in Bad Fallingbostel were being kept away from the area for a second day and local schools and kindergartens were remaining closed. No injuries have been reported.
The accident occurred on Monday afternoon when acid was put into a tank containing highly-concentrated sodium hydroxide used for cleaning, which created a chemical reaction causing the gas.
Experts on the scene trying to empty the tank say it is still at around the boiling point inside, indicating the chemical reaction is still ongoing.