Illinois semitruck accident kills 1, injures 5 and prompts ammonia leak evacuation

TEUTOPOLIS, Ill. (AP) — A semitruck carrying ammonia overturned in an Illinois county, spilling the chemical and causing an evacuation of area residents Friday night, police said.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office said the accident happened less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Teutopolis near an intersection of Route 40 and residents were evacuated from the area and provided shelter, WCIA-TV reported.

Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes told the television station that one person was killed and five people were transported for emergency medical care with unknown injuries,

Rhodes said a hazardous materials unit was at the scene and additional details about the accident were not immediately available, WCIA reported.

Teutopolis is about 92 miles (148 kilometers) southeast of Springfield, the capital of Illinois.