WEATHERFORD, Okla. (AP) — A leaking tanker truck in a small Oklahoma city spewed a hazardous gas in a hotel parking lot, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate and hospitalizing several dozen people, authorities said Thursday.

The anhydrous ammonia gas release happened shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday. People in the immediate area were in respiratory distress, city officials in Weatherford said at a news conference. Most patients were taken to a nearby hospital, but some, including four in critical condition, were taken to other hospitals for further treatment, Police Chief Angelo Orefice said.

See Full Page