WEATHERFORD, Okla. —

Hundreds of people were evacuated from a city in Oklahoma and others were told to shelter in place after a tanker truck that was leaking in a hotel parking lot spewed a plume of anhydrous ammonia gas, authorities said Thursday.

The gas release happened shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday. People in the immediate area were in respiratory distress and at least 36 people were taken to a local hospital, city officials said at a news conference. Eleven of them were brought to other hospitals for further treatment.

At least 500 to 600 people were in a shelter as of Thursday morning, authorities said. Several nursing homes were evacuated and schools were closed for the day. Those that were told to shelter in place were in a triangle-shaped area, including businesses that were

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