Workers rescued after chemical incident in Melbourne.

A factory was forced to evacuate and four workers needed to be rescued after a drum containing chemicals exploded at the site in the Thomsatown area of north Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, on Saturday 10 September 2016. The four workers took refuge in a safe area within the plant after the drum burst, releasing a clound of orange gas and about 100 litres of fluid. They were rescued by emergency crews from Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire Brigade using breathing apparatus, and checked for signs of contamination by crews from Ambulance Victoria before being released. A 250 m exclusion zone was set up around the site while the spill was cleaned up.

Emergency crews at the scene of the 10 September 2016 Melbourne chemical incident. Paul Stacchino/Twitter/ABC.

The drum that caused the incident is believed to have contained nitrous acid, HNO₂, a weak monobasic acid used in a variety of chemical manufacturing proceses and not generally considered a high risk substance (and not to be confused with the similar sounding but much more dangerous nitric acid). The problem is thoguht to have occured because the drum had not been cleaned before use, and contained traces of an organic solvent; acids tend to react strongly with such solvents, producing large amounts of gas, which would have led to the presure rising sharply inside the drum, untill this led to the top being blown off.

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Melbourne woman swallowd by 3 m sinkhole.

A woman had to be rescued by firefighters after being swallowed by a sinkhole while hanging out washing in her garden on Tuesday 25 November 2014. Christina Beaumont fell into the hole at about 11.30 am local time in the Springvale South area of the city, and had to tread water until the rescuers arived at 12.30, allerted by a neighbour who had heard her cries for help. The whole was less than a meter wide, but around three meters deep and flooded in its bottom part, while sediment continued to fall from the sides of the hole onto Ms Beaumont, who is being treated for shock.

The sinkhole on the property at Springvale South, Melbourne. News.com.

Sinkholes are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are unconsolidated deposits at the surface they can infill from the sides, apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without trace. Potash, a potassium salt, is readily soluble and can be dissolved quickly if water gains access to deposits, leading to the rapid formation of sinkholes.

On this occasion investigators from Greater Dandenong City Council have determined that the sinkhole occured at the site of an old well on the property, which had been improperly sealed off.

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