A major US port in the state of North Carolina has been closed after containers carrying explosive material were found punctured in Morehead City.
Police have told people to evacuate the area. Some are said to be leaving.
Morehead City Police Chief Wes Lail said the chemical involved was pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) - a powerful explosive.
The Morehead port - one of the deepest on the US East coast - is a major entry point for commodities.
The cause of Tuesday's incident was not immediately clear.
A police spokesman told Reuters news agency: "As a precaution, they have evacuated the port area... everything indicates this was by accident."
PETN is used both in military ammunition and for industrial explosions.
It was also the substance allegedly used by a Nigerian man accused of trying to destroy an airliner about to land in Detroit on Christmas Day.
Reports say there is no sense of panic in Morehead City.
Resident Drew Hall told the Associated Press news agency by phone: "Everybody is going about their business. Why get nervous? Things happen. You can't freak out in times like this."
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