About 200 kg of crude liquid benzene leaked into a river in Central China's Hunan Province Friday morning, local authorities said.

The leak occurred when a valve on a storage tank belonging to Xingkesheng Chemical Co., Ltd. failed due to metal fatigue, authorities in the city of Chenzhou said, adding that emergency treatment measures are being undertaken, including sealing the tank and erecting barriers on the Baoyuan River to intercept the leak.

No casualties have been reported.

Crude liquid benzene is not water-soluble. It can affect people's brain, skin, lungs and nervous system.