10 dead, 251 injured in chlorine gas leak at Jordan’s Aqaba port

Ten people died and 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank at Jordan’s Aqaba port, officials and state media reported Monday, as authorities called on residents to shut windows and stay indoors.

The leak came after a tank filled with 25 metric tons of chlorine gas being exported to Djibouti fell while being transported, officials said.

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

City health authorities called on residents to close their windows and stay in their homes, according to state TV.

Specialized teams are still dealing with the leak, the Civil Defence service said on its Facebook page. Evacuation planes were being sent into Aqaba, state television said.

Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh arrived at Aqaba and headed to a hospital where some of the injured were being treated, state TV reported.

Al-Khasawneh also formed an investigation team into the incident chaired by the interior minister, state TV cited the information minister as saying.