About one hundred calls had been made to Chelyabinsk ambulance by 1:30 PM local time; the city had a large-scale bromine leakage today. Eight people had to be taken to hospital with suspected bromine poisoning that might have come through food sources. The rest of those who called the ambulance only asked for advice, the city council reports.

Fifty liters of bromine leaked out of a carriage at Chelyabinsk-Glavny railway station at about 5:30 AM local time this morning. An unpleasant smell pervaded the city center. The local division of the Ministry of Emergencies advised the locals to stay in if possible.

Still, the division stressed that, even though bromine fumes can cause some mucous membrane irritation, they are not life-threatening.