Chlorine gas leak kills at least 10 and injures 251 in Jordan port

(Reuters) – At least 10 people were killed and 251 injured when chlorine gas leaked from a storage tank in the Jordanian port of Aqaba, officials and state media said on Monday, as authorities called on residents to close windows and stay indoors.

Officials said the leak came after a tank filled with 25 tons of chlorine gas that was being exported to Djibouti fell while it was being transported.

A video posted on state television’s Twitter page showed a storage tank falling from a crane and hitting the deck of a ship, followed by yellow gas rising into the air as people fled.

Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and water purifying agent, but if inhaled, the gas turns into hydrochloric acid, which can lead to internal burning and drowning by triggering a water reaction in the lungs.

The Jordan News Agency (Petra), quoting the Director-General of the Jordan Maritime Committee, said that grain silos in Aqaba have stopped working, but the maritime movement in Aqaba ports continues.

“We asked the ships that were near the area of ​​the tank explosion to move away from the area immediately,” Director General Mohammed Salman said.

The port of Aqaba, located at the northern end of the Red Sea, has long been a major transit route for Iraqi imports and exports.

The Civil Defense Service said on its Facebook page that specialized teams were still dealing with the leak. State television said evacuation planes had been sent to Aqaba.

State TV reported that Prime Minister Bishr Al-Khasawneh arrived in Aqaba and went to a hospital where he treats some of the wounded.

State television quoted the Minister of Information as saying that Al-Khasawneh also formed an investigation team into the accident, headed by the Minister of Interior.

(Covering by Moataz Muhammad, Omar Fahmy, Naira Abdullah and Suleiman Al-Khalidi). Editing by Deepa Babington, Mark Porter and Lisa Schumaker

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