Stolen car ruptures chlorine tank, kills 2 in Mississippi

BILOXI, Miss. – County officials in Mississippi say a toxic cloud of chlorine was released when a stolen car crashed into a utility station and killed two passengers.

WLOX-TV reports Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson says the BMW convertible was stolen roughly one or two hours before the wreck Saturday night and that speeding likely caused it. County coroner Gary Hargrove says authorities were working to identify the victims.

County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan says authorities were initially responding to a reported chlorine leak when they discovered the two deceased people inside the car. Sullivan says the toxic cloud had injured some first responders as several deputies and at least one firefighter were treated at the scene.

Sullivan says multiple agencies worked cleaning and decontaminating the scene, finishing early Sunday morning.

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Information from: WLOX-TV, http://www.wlox.com