BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua)
-- One person died and 17 others were
injured when a cargo train carrying
toxic chemicals derailed near the
northwestern Belgian city of Ghent on
Saturday, local media
reported.
Previous reports said
two people were killed and 14 others
were injured in the accident. But
local officials revised the number
later in the same day while
continuing investigating the cause of
the incident.
The train, bound
for Ghent-Zeehaven from the Netherlands,
derailed between the towns of
Schellebelle and Wetteren at about 2:00
a.m. (0000 GMT), some 20 km east
of Ghent.
The accident caused
a fire and then several explosions
in the railway cars.
Some 300
people were evacuated from their homes
near the spot of the
accident.
Train services between
Brussels and Ghent will close for
at least two days on Saturday
and Sunday, said railway
authority.
The train was
reportedly carrying a variety of
chemicals and toxic raw materials on
board. At least one of the 12
carriages were carrying cyanide, a
highly toxic material.
Firefighters
are letting the blaze to burn
itself out as putting out the
fire with water could disperse toxic
materials.
Residents within a
radius of 1,000 meters around the
scene of the accident have been
warned to shut their windows and
stay indoors.
（Editor：HuangBeibei、Gao
Yinan）
