About 190 people in nearby Imcheon-ri left their village and moved to a training center for teenage students. An acrid smell still hangs in the air in the two villages, home to some 1,200 people. Villagers accused the government of failing to give proper and timely information about the gas leak, and expressed disbelief over the announcement hydrofluoric acid was not detected in their towns. Crops and fruit on more than 212 hectares of farmlands and orchards have withered, and some
3,200 livestock animals have been drooling heavily or showing symptoms similar to a cold, according to local officials and villagers. The central government, under mounting criticism for poorly handling the disaster at the initial stage of the explosion, is considering designating the affected area as a special disaster zone, a move that would bring extra financial support for the victims.