NANJING, March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll in Tuesday's liquefied chlorine leakage in east China's Jiangsu Province has climbed to 28 and may still rise slightly, a local official confirmed on Thursday.

    The leakage, caused by a truck collision Tuesday in Huai'an city, has hospitalized 350 people, 17 of whom are seriously poisoned, said Lu Changsu, vice mayor in charge of public securityin Huai'an city, in an interview with Xinhua.

    He said the death toll may continue to climb slightly because three of the patients have been diagnosed to be in critical condition.

    The accident occurred at 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday, when a tank truck carrying 35 tons of liquefied chlorine ran out of control with a flat tire and rammed into a cargo truck on the Huai'an section of the Beijing-Shanghai expressway. Both vehicles turned over and the cargo truck driver was killed on the spot.

    The tank driver fled the site but later surrendered himself to police in Nanjing and has been taken back to Huai'an for investigation.

    Rescuers have dug a pond at roadside, where they are counteracting the chloride with caustic soda. The process is estimated to last for two days.

    Local farmers have complained about the damages to their crops,saying some farmland will be infertile for a year or two.

    The accident has aroused the attention of the central government. Vice Premier Huang Ju has instructed the Jiangsu provincial government to spare no efforts in their rescue work. Enditem