Dozens of people hospitalized by ammonia leak in Serbia

Dozens of people were hospitalized and a main international highway was closed to traffic after a freight train carrying ammonia derailed in southern Serbia on Sunday.

Local authorities in the town of Pirot declared a state of emergency and told people not to leave their homes because of the potentially hazardous gas leak.

Dozens of people were hospitalized with suspected poisoning. Because of the limited visibility reportedly caused by the leak, several cars crashed on the main highway that leads to North Macedonia and further on to Greece at the time of busy traffic because of the Christmas holidays.

Police closed the highway and redirected the traffic to local roads. There were no reports what caused the train derailment that triggered the leak. Ammonia gas leaks can be flammable and can cause serious injury or even death after longer exposure.