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Train Carrying Sulfuric Acid Derails in Australia

Authorities set a two kilometer 'exclusion zone' around the site following the spill Sunday morning local time about 12.5 miles east of Julia Creek.
Image: AUSTRALIA-TRAIN-INDUSTRIAL-ACCIDENT
A photo released by Queensland Rail shows a derailed freight train carrying approximately 200,000 litres of sulfuric acid east of Julia Creek in north-west Queensland. The authorities have declared an emergency under the Public Safety Preservation Act and have placed a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the crash site after the accident. QUEENSLAND RAIL / AFP - Getty Images
By Richie Duchon

Police have declared an emergency after a train carrying sulfuric acid derailed in a rural area of northwest Queensland, Australia.

Authorities set up a two kilometer "exclusion zone" around the site following the spill Sunday morning around 12.5 miles east of Julia Creek.

A local highway was also closed between the two nearest towns — Julia Creek and Richmond — on either side of the spill.

Image: AUSTRALIA-TRAIN-INDUSTRIAL-ACCIDENT
Queensland authorities have declared an emergency under the Public Safety Preservation Act and have placed a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the crash site.QUEENSLAND RAIL / AFP - Getty Images
Richie Duchon

Richie Duchon is an NBC News digital editor in the Los Angeles bureau.