UPDATE:
The identities of the five victims killed in a hazardous chemical spill near Teutopolis have been released.
Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes reports 34-year old Kenneth Bryan of Teutopolis and his 7-year old daughter and 10-year old son; 31-year old Castile Cricovan of Twinsburg, Ohio; and 67-year old Danny Smith of New Haven, Missouri. All five died from exposure to anhydrous ammonia gas following a multi-vehicle crash on Friday night along U-S 40 involving a tanker truck carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.
Five other individuals exposed to the ammonia gas were airlifted from the scene and taken to area hospitals. Effingham County authorities say several other individuals passing through the area of the crash were also treated for exposure to anhydrous ammonia.
** Previous Update **
As of Saturday night, residents of Teutopolis have been allowed to return home while cleanup of an anhydrous ammonia spill continues. In a release from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Home Land Security, Teutopolis Assistant Fire Chief Joe Holomy said testing has indicated that the danger from the anhydrous ammonia has dissipated. Holomy said the tanker that contained the anhydrous ammonia has been drained, patched, and removed to a secure location pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Illinois State Police continues to investigate the cause of the crash and the resulting chemical spill.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes announced that five people involved in the accident died as the result of inhaling the anhydrous ammonia. Three of those were an adult and two children from the same residence in Teutopolis. The other two fatalities included the driver of the tanker truck from Ohio and the driver of another vehicle involved in the crash from Missouri. Five other individuals were injured and taken to area hospitals for treatment.
About 4,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia leaked from the tanker forcing the evacuation of a one mile radius of the crash scene Friday night. The crash occurred about 8:45pm Friday night on US-40 near Teutopolis. Sheriff Paul Kuhns said it was a large accident scene. Traffic was being re-routed off of I-70 onto US-40 at the time of the crash because of another accident that happened earlier in the evening on the Interstate.
** Previous Update **
Several Federal, state, and local emergency response teams are leading the clean-up effort following a multiple vehicle crash in Effingham County that resulted in a hazardous chemical leak and multiple deaths.
Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns says the accident happened about 8:45 pm Friday on US-40 about a half mile east of Teutopolis. Kuhn says traffic was being re-routed from Interstate 70 following an accident that happened about 5pm Friday. The semi-tanker truck was among the vehicles re-routed off I-70. As a result of the Route-40 accident, part of the tank trailer ended up in a ditch and began leaking. Initially, a large plume of anhydrous ammonia was dispersed onto the road creating dangerous air conditions and forcing the evacuation of homes and businesses within a one-mile radius of the crash scene. Those evacuations remained in effect on Saturday. As a safety precaution, about 500 residents were displaced by the evacuation. The Illinois Department of Transportation has closed US-40 between Effingham and Teutopolis.
A release from the Illinois EPA says the tanker was carrying about 7,500 gallons of Anhydrous ammonia at the time of the crash. Early estimates suggest around 4,000 gallons leaked out of the tanker and into the environment. I-EPA officials say the leak has been partially patched. Anhydrous ammonia is a corrosive and can cause severe respiratory issues and even death if inhaled. The chemical is also used in the agriculture industry. Representatives from the U.S. EPA and the National Transportation Safety Board are also responding to the scene.
During a media briefing Saturday morning, Sheriff Kuhns described the area of the crash as a large accident scene. Kuhns initially said there were multiple fatalities related to the crash, but did not have an exact count. A release issued Saturday afternoon by the Illinois EPA reports that there were 5-deaths and multiple injuries from the crash on US-40. The Effingham Daily News reports that the five people were overcome by anhydrous ammonia and died including two children under 12 and an adult, all from Teutopolis. Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes says five others were taken to area hospitals for treatment. The newspaper reports the tank truck's driver was one of the other fatalities along with the driver of another vehicle from Missouri that was involved in the crash.
This is a developing story. No additional information has been released. The Illinois EPA, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, Illinois State Police, and the Illinois Department of Transportation are coordinating the response and clean up with local Police and Fire Departments and the Effingham County Emergency Management Agency. The crash remains under investigation.
