Weatherford, Okla. — A plume of toxic gas blanketed a small Oklahoma city after a tanker truck sprang a leak in a hotel parking lot, forcing hundreds of nearby 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 local hospital, but some, including four in critical condition, were taken to other hospitals for further treatment, Police Chief Angelo Orefice said.

At least 500 to 600 people were in a shelter early Thursday, but others were told to shelter in place, authorities said. That order was lifted later Thursday morning. Several

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