There is hydrochloric acid currently leaking from a container near a storage facility on Héðinsgata 2, Reykjavík, close to Sundahöfn harbor, mbl.is reports.
Owned by the oil company Olís, the facility stores numerous supplies, among them toxic substances.
Olís CEO Jón Ólafur Halldórsson did not have information at noon as to what had happened, but police have closed the area to traffic. Fire fighters were unable to estimate at that point how much of the substance had leaked.
Jörgen Valdimarsson, the fire fighter officer on duty, did not know how severe the leak was. Fire fighters are at work, wearing special protective gear, but a leak such as this one can be dangerous. Hydrochloric acid can burn skin and seriously affect the respiratory system. Fire fighters expect to complete their work by 2 pm.
RÚV reports that no one has been injured, but the leakage was discovered when a truck driver, who brought a container to the area, complained of respiratory discomfort. When the truckload was inspected, it was discovered that one container, storing 1,000 liters of hydrochloric acid, was broken.
The workers who opened the container were reportedly wearing masks.
You can see the location of the leak, marked A, on the map below.
