GRANITEVILLE, S.C. - A freight train carrying chlorine gas struck a parked train early Thursday, killing at least four people and injuring at least 200 others as the wreck unleashed a toxic cloud over this small textile town.
Eight people were in critical condition Thursday night after the 2:30 a.m. wreck of Norfolk Southern trains near a textile mill. Chlorine was still leaking as evening fell, and authorities ordered all 5,400 people within a mile of the crash to evacuate because the gas was expected to settle near the ground as temperatures dropped.
How the deaths and the most critical injuries occurred was not immediately available, but at least some of them appeared to have been overcome by the fumes.
Sheriff's Lt. Michael Frank said one person was found dead in a home and another was found in a vehicle. A train engineer also was among those killed, Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman said. No information on the fourth fatality was available.
Most of the injured were treated for respiratory ailments and released, but at least 45 people were admitted to hospitals, authorities said.
Gov. Mark Sanford, who declared a state of emergency, said after touring the area from the air that he saw a body near the site.
Residents were jarred awake Thursday by the sound of metal dragging and a house-shaking boom. Authorities Thursday night remained unsure when the gas leak might be sealed. They set up shelters for evacuees, and convinced all but about a dozen people in the area to evacuate.
The potentially fatal gas can damage the respiratory and central nervous systems, and the throat, nose and eyes. Those who were exposed were told to report to decontamination units at two schools.
