Ten people died Monday in Jordan and more than 200 others were injured following a container overturned in the port of Aqaba, in the south of the country, releasing toxic gas.
Aqaba, one of the main ports on the Red Sea, is the only seaport in the Hashemite Kingdom, through which most Jordanian imports and exports pass.
“The death toll following the gas leak in the port of Aqaba stands at ten dead and more than 200 injured,” Information Minister Fayçal al-Chouboul, also a spokesperson, told AFP. word of the Jordanian government.
Fall of a container
According to the spokesman for general security, Amer al Sartawi, “a container filled with toxic gas overturned during transport, causing a leak” at the scene.
According to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, this container fell from a boat and the southern area of the port was evacuated.
According to footage released by the official Al-Mamlaka TV channel, a crane carrying the container dropped it over the boat. After the shock, yellow smoke escaped instantly, while people tried to flee.
“Very dangerous substance”
The injured were transferred to two public hospitals, a private hospital and a fourth field hospital, authorities said.
Aqaba Health Director Jamal Obeidat said “hospitals in Aqaba were overwhelmed and might no longer receive other injured people”, some of whom are in critical condition.
He called on the inhabitants of Aqaba “to stay at home and close the windows as a precaution”, specifying that “the substance present in the atmosphere was very dangerous”.
afp/asch
