A public meeting that was meant to ease fears about a toxic chemical spill in an Ohio town in the United States only heightened anger when the rail firm at the heart of the disaster failed to show up.
Representatives of the Norfolk Southern Railway Company, whose train carrying the chemicals derailed 13 days ago causing a huge fire, cited security concerns.
After the derailment, emergency crews performed a controlled release of vinyl chloride from five railcars that were at risk of exploding.
Also Read: Naira Scarcity: Angry youths protest, attack two commercial banks in Delta state
Thick plumes of black smoke towered over the town, but crews monitoring the air quality sought to reassure locals that it was going as planned.
Despite those assurances from officials, many residents say they continued to be frightened of the potential harms, which they say had impacted humans and wildlife alike.
Editor Oloyede Oworu
