Author Topic: UPDATE 1-East US port shut, evacuated in explosives alert - accident  (Read 389 times)

Butterbean

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East US port shut, evacuated in explosives alert
Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:05pm EST
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    * North Carolina port closed over explosives alert
      11:35am EST



RALEIGH, N.C., Jan 12 (Reuters) - North Carolina's Morehead City Port, a major import entry point for rubber and other commodities, was closed and evacuated on Tuesday after containers holding explosives were accidentally punctured, authorities said.

"As a precaution, they have evacuated the port area ... everything indicates this was by accident," a spokeswoman for the Morehead City Police Department told Reuters.

Morehead City Port is one of the deepest ports on the U.S. East Coast and its traffic includes imports of chemicals.

Morehead City Mayor Jerry Jones told CNN that emergency services had sealed off the port area where the explosive substance had spilled from drums onto the port property.

"I can confirm it is PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate) and it is explosive," he added.

The police spokeswoman said military, police and fire officials were at the scene and an evacuation recommendation had also been issued for downtown Morehead City.

Those people who remained were being asked to stay away from windows and doors, according to local media.
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