Chemical spill at Ohio explosives plant forces evacuations and grounds flights

About 3,000 gallons of nitric acid leaked from a tank at an explosives plant in Ohio on Wednesday morning (Picture: WBNS)

A chemical leak at an explosives manufacturing plant in Ohio has prompted an entire village to evacuate and grounded flights within thousands of miles.

Nitric acid spilled from a tank at Austin Powder Red Diamond plant on Wednesday morning, sending a massive orange-colored plume into the air.

A 5,000-gallon tank released 3,000 gallons of the chemical around 8.30am, according to Vinton County EMA spokesman Robert Czechlewski.

Workers and residents in the village of Zaleski were told to evacuate.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Flights within 4,000 miles of the spill at the plant at 32000 Powder Plant Road have been grounded.

By the afternoon, the plume had dissipated.

Nitric acid entered a process and reacted with the container, which created nitrogen oxide gas that escaped into the air, according to the Ohio EPA.

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