Dimona residents given all-clear after bromine train leak

Police on Tuesday morning gave the all-clear for residents of the southern city of Dimona to come out of their homes after ordering them to stay indoors during the night while emergency workers cleared up a bromine leak from a derailed train.

Four people were lightly injured when an Israel Railways freight train carrying bromine gas collided during the night with three train cars parked on the tracks at a rail station in the city.

“This morning, at the end of professional and coordinated work by various emergency services and the local authority, which continued throughout the night the container was cleared from the area, life can return to normal, and the residents were permitted to leave their homes,” police said in a statement.

Close to midnight Monday, the police emergency line received an alert that a train had come off the tracks.

Officials detected a small leak of the bromine at the site, and police ordered all residents living within 900 meters of the crash to remain in their homes until morning. Environmental Protection Ministry officials suggested those even further away from the site, near the main highway entrance to the southern city, should remain indoors too.

The freight train driver was initially trapped within the vehicle, but was soon rescued by firefighters.

Bromine has a number of chemical applications but exposure to skin or inhalation can cause severe burns and other health effects.

Two people were injured from the crash itself, and the other two suffered experienced burning in their eyes from the gas.

All four were taken to Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, where doctors said their injuries were not serious.

Police blocked Route 25 leading into Dimona to traffic in both directions while the rescue operation was underway and later thanked local residents for following instructions, thus enabling a quick clean-up operation.