lifting of confinement of 150,000 people – Liberation

The containment of 150,000 people called upon not to leave their homes due to a toxic cloud in chlorine, in Catalonia, in northeast Spain, was lifted on Saturday May 10 at midday by the authorities.

At dawn, the inhabitants of five municipalities in a region located between Barcelona and Tarragona had been called to confine themselves, due to the toxic chlorine cloud caused by a fire in an industrial deposit storing products for swimming pools. The authorities had asked them to stay at home, windows and closed doors, while roads and stations were closed to avoid any trip to this area.

The generality of Catalonia, the political organization of The Autonomous Community of the Regionhas activated the emergency plan for the chemical sector, said The Spanish daily El País. « Confainment is lifted »announced shortly after 12:15 p.m. the head of the interior of Catalonia, Núria Parlon, during a press conference. However, she asked vulnerable people, children and those who practice a sport not to go out yet as a precaution.

Likewise, the firefighters called on the population to remain vigilant, because depending on the winds and the movement of the toxic cloud which has not yet completely dissipated, they could request new confinements in limited areas.

The firefighters indicated earlier in the morning that they had controlled the fire, before deploying their strengths on « Monitoring the cloud generated by fire to follow its evolution and toxicity levels ». « Chlorine rarely ignites, but when it burns, it is very difficult to turn off »said the owner of the industrial deposit, Jorge Viñuales Alonso, on the radio.

Many residents could feel embarrassment in the eyes and throat. Depending on the wind, this situation could worsen or spread to other municipalities. But according to the authorities cited by El País, Rain could help dissipate this toxic cloud faster.

Update at 1:35 p.m. With the lifting of confinement and the updated figure of confined.