WUHAN -- Another 25 people have been hospitalized after toxic chemicals leaked from a tanker, bringing the total number of victims to 126, officials with the Xiaogan government said Friday.

The accident happened around 9:00 p.m. Tuesday when a truck carrying dimethyl sulfate leaked the chemical along a 5-kilometer stretch of No. 107 National Highway near Xiaogan City, in central China's Hubei Province.

Li Chude, who was driving his car behind the truck, died from inhaling the poisonous fumes. Villagers and passers-by were hospitalized with chest pains and stinging eyes.

As of Thursday evening, twelve of the 125 hospitalized had recovered and left hospital. The other patients are all in a stable condition.

The two tanker drivers, who fled after the leakage, have given themselves up to police.

The truck, registered A69086, belongs to Jinlong Chemical Co. in Zibo, east China's Shandong province.

Traffic in the section of the road affected by the spill returned to normal after the chemical evaporated.

Dimethyl sulfate is a highly dangerous carcinogen which, if breathed in or absorbed through the skin, severely irritates and burns the eyes, and can cause permanent damage with loss of vision. It can also damage the liver and kidney, and affect the heart.