健康英语新闻:Hydrochloric acid leaking prompts evacuation in Colorado neighborhoods

LOS ANGELES, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of homes were evacuated on Wednesday in Monument, U.S. state of Colorado after hydrochloric acid was leaking from a train car, authorities said.

The leak was first reported around 1 a.m. local time when a southbound train spotted a vapor trail on a northbound train, the Denver Post reported.

Authorities first ordered the evacuation of some 255 homes, and later expanded the evacuation to an additional 160 homes, according to the report.

Schools in the area were closed due to the leaking, the report said.

A specialized crew from Texas has been dispatched to the scene to transfer the hydrochloric acid leaking from the train car and is expected to finish the job in four or five hours, weather permitting, the report quoted Sgt. Mike Schaller of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office as saying.

The leak is contained but hydrochloric acid is still leaking slowly from the tanker, which holds 25,000-30,000 gallons, Schaller said.

He said police went door-to-door notifying residents of a subdivision adjacent to the railroad tracks to evacuate as a precaution.

No injuries have been reported, he said, but residents have been warned that they may have to be out of their homes until Friday as hazardous material crews offload the acid to another container.

The northbound train originated in Kansas and was en route to Denver at the time, the Denver Post said.

It's not yet known how much hydrochloric acid leaked from the train car.

Once the leak is sealed, crews will remove the hydrochloric acid from the damaged car to a new car that will likely continue into Denver, according to the report.

Monument is a town of 3,230 residents 88 kilometers south of Denver.