125,000 lethal doses of cyanide spilled in Japan

TOKYO (AFP) - The equivalent of 125,000 lethal doses of cyanide leaked from a factory in Japan after a snow plough accident, a plant operator said on Wednesday.

At least five tonnes of liquid waste containing sodium cyanide spewed out of a tank after it was hit by a snow plough at a plating factory run by Kurosaka Plating in Hanamaki, northern Japan, on Tuesday, a company official said.

One litre of the toxic liquid waste, used to remove nickel plating from surfaces, is enough to kill 25 people, the official said.

The leak occurred when workers were trying to remove piles of snow from the site, which has seen severe winter weather over the last week, and damaged a valve on the tank in which the chemical was stored.