Chemical spill from accident closes Iowa highway

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a chemical spill after a truck accident has closed part of Iowa Highway 7 near Newell in northern Iowa.

The Department of Natural Resources says a semitrailer went off the road and rolled early Wednesday, throwing several chemical containers into a ditch, where they leaked or ruptured. There were no injuries.

The spill involves three 55-gallon drums of phosphoric acid, three to five 275-gallon plastic containers of sodium and potassium hydroxide mix and one 55-gallon drum of chlorine bleach.

A Des Moines environmental company was en route to clean up the spill, which was expected to begin late Wednesday afternoon. The highway will remain closed until it’s complete.

The truck is owned by Packers Logistics of Kieler, Wis.