A spokesperson for the company where a chemical reaction evacuated 100 people in Wangaratta last night says operations will cease till the site is declared safe.
Region President of Australasia Nuplex Sam Bastounas says Wangaratta staff advised the company of a strange odour at about 8pm.
Mr Bastounas says the odour was the result of an unexpected reaction in one of the production vessels.
The reaction from the paint-making chemicals forced at least 100 people to evacuate their homes. The Country Fire Authority says they were allowed to return at 3:30am.
He says investigations will happen, “looking at every aspect of the process and also looking at the environmental impact as well.”
Wangaratta Mayor Robert Paino says the smell was hard to describe.
“On the one hand it was like the smell of burning plastic, other people have described it as a toxic garlic sort of smell, it was a pungent odour that did cause headaches, I’ve still got a bit of a headache myself… A really vile smell that really permeated right through people’s homes.”
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