There was panic on the streets of Leshan, Sichuan province on Thursday after a leak at a chemical plant sparked a mass exodus on 21 August 2020.
Residents reported a “thick fog” and acrid smell in the district on Thursday morning that they believed came from a chemical factory in the area. Many claimed to have seen the fog near their homes, while others said they saw it from a distance.
Videos posted online show that many people left the district in panic by motorcycles and cars, causing traffic jams.
Just one day later, when it became impossible to deny the leak, CGTN changed its report, but blamed the leak on natural causes like a flood and insisted that the leakage was insufficient to cause harm.
The authorities said previously that the indicators of hydrogen fluoride, VOCs, hydrogen chloride, chlorine, and ammonia in the central urban area of Wutongqiao did not exceed standard levels after their onsite investigation and thus denied the leak.
