Two vehicles carrying 27 tonnes of vinyl chloride and 20 tonnes of resin respectively collided in the capital of China's Zhejiang Province, causing a threat to the nearby population.
The people within a one km radius of the crash in the provincial capital Hangzhou were evacuated before traffic police and firefighters began to remove the vehicles, government officials said.
A primary school and some factories in the region had to be closed, officials said.
People living within a km radius range were advised to relocate, while those living in the 500-metre radius had to be evacuated, officials said.
Vinyl chloride is a toxic gas that can cause dizziness and chest pains, and can lead to a coma or even death.
Resin is an inflammable toxic substance, Xinhua report said.