Emergency services called after chemical incident at Cork plant

A full-scale emergency response was triggered this evening following reports of a chemical spill in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Cork city.

The alarm was raised at the Courtstown Industrial Estate in Little Island at around 6.20pm after a spillage during truck loading operations at the Johnston Logistics site.

It is understood the chemical involved is nitric acid - a highly corrosive acid used in the production of ammonium nitrate for fertilizers, making plastics, and in the manufacture of dyes.

Gardaí, several units of the fire brigade and their Haz-Mat unit, rapid response doctors and a fleet of ambulances responded to the site.

Following an initial assessment of the area, a decision was taken to evacuate the site to facilitate a clean-up of the affected area.

There are no reports of any injuries.

Fire crew remain on site to conduct the clean-up.