A freight train travelling between Kazakhstan and Poland transporting 700 t of yellow phosphorus, which is a highly toxic product and extremely flammable when in contact with oxygen, derailed in Western Ukraine: 15 tanks were overturned and 6 of them ignited, creating a white toxic cloud that covered an 86-km² land area. Emergency responders controlled the blaze in 5 hours, then cooled the phosphorus and used a combination of foam and sand to prevent any new fire outbreaks. This information was broadcast to the 11,000 residents of the zone, creating some commotion and panic; in all, 900 were evacuated. Wearing gas masks and staying indoors were initially advised by the authorities. On 18 July, the government began reassuring the local population with announcements indicating that the zone was no longer polluted. The railway was repaired, tank leaks plugged, railcars placed upright, and the convoy sent back on 26 July towards Kazakhstan at low speed, without stopping, in bypassing big cities and accompanies by 2 fire-protection trains. The polluted parcels were cleaned and a dike built adjacent to the site in order to protect a village and collect the polluted water. Some 900 kg of crystallised phosphorus were recovered at the accident site. On 3 August, phosphorus residue left onsite spontaneously ignited.

174 people, including 46 children and 14 responders, were intoxicated and had to be hospitalised. According to the regional branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, analyses of the air, soil and water both at the accident site and in the vicinity revealed a rise in the phosphorus rate “two to three times higher than the standard”, but just at the epicentre, i.e. covering an area “roughly 1 km²”. For its part, the Environment Ministry confirmed that the rate of phosphorus in air was tens of times above standards (3.5 mg/m³ vs. 0.15 mg/m³) in 2 villages, Angelivka and Lisne, but no water or soil pollution was detected. The losses incurred by farming activities were estimated at 109,000 dollars, and the Ukrainian government freed up 2.8 million dollars to eliminate all after effects of the disaster; of this sum, 2.4 million were allocated for social services to protect the children and single mothers. The cause of this accident is still not known, but an investigation was undertaken based on the charge of “railway operating rule violations”.