Brussels, 06/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Following the derailment in Belgium of a train carrying chemical substances during the night of Saturday 4 May, the European commissioner for transport, Siim Kallas, speaking on Twitter, expressed his concerns on Monday 6 May. Poisonous fumes, similar to cyanide, were emitted from the acrylonitrile on board the train, following the explosion and fire caused by the derailment. The Belgian authorities had to evacuate those living close to the scene. So far, one man has died from inhaling the toxic vapours and around 50 people have been taken to hospital. The accident, therefore, raises questions over transporting chemical substances and the level of safety of Belgian infrastructure (two rail accidents occurred in 2009 and one in 2012).
Speaking on Twitter, the commissioner provided assurances that he would “ensure that any lessons needing EU action were rapidly followed up”. A spokesperson also said the Commission was in contact with the Belgian authorities and expected a report on the cause of the accident. In the meantime, it could make no comment: “The only thing we can do is to wait for the response from the authorities”. Nevertheless, the spokesperson did emphasise that the European Rail Agency (AFE) was standing ready to assist the country but, in response to questions put by EUROPE on Monday afternoon, the AFE was unable to provide any further comment in this connection. (MD/transl.fl)