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Train's derailment causes acid spill

    ABIDJAN

    Three carriages of a train carrying chemical products from Senegal's national chemical company derailed on Sunday in a suburb of the capital, Dakar, spilling phosphoric acid into nearby homes, local media reported. The acid spill affected 26 homes in Thiaroye-sur-Mer and left some 250 people homeless while around 80 people were treated in hospital, 'Sud Quotidien' daily reported on Monday. There were no deaths reported.

    According to some victims and neighbours, the train was travelling at high speed just before the derailment. The authorities have started an investigation into the accident, one aspect of which will be to formulate ways to protect local residents whose homes are close to the railway from similar incidents. The Dakar-based daily quoted Thiaroye's mayor, Daour Niang Ndiaye, as saying he did not foresee relocation as a solution.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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