Poison cloud engulfs Belgrade (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 11:23:50 -0700
From: Phil Gasper <pgasper@cnd.edu>
To: jmusselm_rpa@indiana.edu
Subject: Poison cloud engulfs Belgrade

Excerpt
The Times (UK)
April 19 1999

Poison cloud engulfs Belgrade

Nato crippled the Serb oil industry yesterday. Tom Walker reports from
Belgrade

AN ecological disaster was unfolding yesterday after Nato bombed a combined
petrochemicals, fertiliser and refinery complex on the banks of the Danube
in the northern outskirts of Belgrade.

A series of detonations that shook the whole city early yesterday sent a
toxic cloud of smoke and gas hundreds of feet into the night sky. In the
dawn the choking cloud could be seen spreading over the entire northern
skyline.

Among the cocktail of chemicals billowing over hundreds of thousands of
homes were the toxic gas phosgene, chlorine and hydrochloric acid. Workers
at the industrial complex in Pancevo panicked and decided to release tons
of
ethylene dichloride, a carcinogen, into the Danube, rather than risk seeing
it blown up.

At least three missile strikes left large areas of the plant crippled and
oil and petrol from the damaged refinery area flowed into the river, forming
slicks up to 12 miles long. Temperatures in the collapsing plant were said
to have risen to more than 1,000C. Asked about the hazard from chemical smoke,
Nato said there was "a lot more smoke coming from burning villages in
Kosovo"....