Acid spill occurred after train derailment

Tens of thousands of litres of sulphuric acid may have leaked from a freight train that derailed in Australia’s outback, police said Tuesday. Queensland authorities estimated the train was carrying 819,000 litres of acid when it crashed near the town of Julia Creek. The freight train, which lies corkscrewed over the track, was originally thought to be transporting 200,000 litres when the locomotive and 26 wagons derailed on Sunday. "Assessments to date indicate that one of the carriages has likely ruptured and it is possible that up to 31,500 litres of acid has leaked out," police said in a statement. "No other ruptured carriages have been identified as leaking at this stage." Sulphuric acid is corrosive and can cause severe burns when it comes into contact with the skin. Authorities have ordered a two-kilometre or 1.3 mile exclusion zone around the area, which is about 300 kilometres east of Mount Isa and currently difficult to access due to floodwaters.