A story that should only happen in horror movies seems to have come very real.
At least 42 people were hospitalized in the Russian town of Cheylabinsk following the leakage of potentially deadly bromine gas from a passing train, according to the BBC. There have been conflicting reports that as many as 207 of the city's 1.1 million residents sought medical attention following the incident.
According to UPI, 10.5 to 13.2 gallons of bromine apparently leaked and floated over a portion of the city after glass jars containing the substance cracked when the train went over a rail hump. City officials said that there shouldn't be any serious damage from the incident, but were nonetheless encouraging people to stay inside. Russia Today reports that an estimated 100 firemen were involved in the relief operation, and a "cloud of toxic was clearly visible over some districts of Chelyabinsk."
In an odd twist, UPI reports that there is some lore around the substance:
An urban legend surrounding the potentially lethal chemical claims that bromine is used by the military to suppress sexual desire in soldiers. One Twitter user, Simwhite, commented that people in Chelyabinsk will face "a year without sex," the Times said.
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