Chemical spill forces Brazilian port's closure

Sao Paulo, May 7 (IANS/EFE) A spill of chemicals used to make cleaning products prompted an evacuation and the closing of the port in the Brazilian city of Salvador for 12 hours. No one was injured, officials said.

About 50 workers were at the port in Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, when the bleach stored in a tank spilled.

Dense smoke was produced when the chemical came into contact with oxygen, officials said Sunday.

Port workers were evacuated and police and firefighters went to the complex to deal with the spill.

The containers filled with the chemical had been at the port since 2010, the official Agencia Estado news agency reported.

Teams cleaned up the spill and cargo operations at the port were able to resume.

The spill did not cause any environmental damage, a spokesman for Codeba, the company that manages the port, said.

--IANS/EFE

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