Shelling causes ammonia leak at Ukraine facility

RUSSIAN shelling in northern Ukraine has led to an ammonia leak at a chemical facility, with nearby residents told to shelter in place.

According to The Guardian, a Sumykhimprom facility was shelled at 03:55 local time on 21 March which damaged one 50 t tank of ammonia. It was reported that one employee was injured. Rescue workers are also fixing a damaged pipeline.

Residents of the town of Novoselytsya were told to shelter in basements or on lower floors as a 2.5 km area around the facility was deemed hazardous. The nearby city of Sumy is currently not affected due to the direction of the prevailing winds.

Sumykhimprom is a power and chemicals company with 11 main facilities and 20 auxiliary plants in northern Ukraine. Its main activities are producing chemical fertilisers – which use ammonia – as well as titanium dioxide, iron sulfate, sulfuric acid, and aluminium sulfate.