One hurt in chlorine gas accident; Holiday park evacuated in Drenthe village

One person was injured after a workplace accident led to the release of chlorine gas. The emergency services evacuated part of the Grote Zand holiday park in Hooghalen, Drenthe, on Tuesday due to the toxicity of the gas.

Two chemical substances were unintentionally mixed together when the accident happened while work was being carried out in an engineering room. Chlorine gas was released because of the chemical reaction caused by the two substances.

The employee working with the substances was hurta spokesperson for the local safety office, Veiligheidsregio Drenthe, told RTV Drenthe. They managed to close the barrel and leave the engineering room on their own, but they left the door open during the escape. The wounded individual was hospitalized, but their condition was not released.

A “typical chlorine smell” spread across the holiday park, the spokesperson said. The authorities evacuated approximately 40 homes in the park and two outside the park which were located within a radius of 400 meters around the swimming pool. The municipality of Midden-Drenthe was in the process of arranging for temporary shelter for them.

Specialists from the fire brigade were preparing to open the barrel of chemicals back up again and vent out the gas in a controlled manner. “After that, we expect the incident to be stable again,” the Veiligheidsregio spokesperson said.

People staying at the park were advised to keep their windows and doors closed.