Jordan says 10 dead, over 200 hurt in Aqaba toxic gas leak
AMMAN: Ten people were killed and more than 200 injured Monday in a toxic gas leak in Jordan’s Aqaba port, the government spokesman said. Footage on state TV showed a large cylinder plunging from a crane on a moored vessel, causing a violent explosion of yellow gas.
The death toll rose to 10, Faisal al-Shaboul told AFP, revising an initial toll of five killed. Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh and Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya headed to the site of the accident, state media reported. Civil defence spokesman Amer al-Sartawy had earlier reported that 234 people were injured after the tank filled with toxic gas fell.
“Specialists and the hazardous substances team in the civil defence are dealing” with the incident, Sartawy added. According to Jordanian official sources, Aqaba’s southern beach was evacuated following the incident. Jordan’s Aqaba port is the country’s only marine terminal and a key transit point for a vast portion of its imports and exports
AMMAN: Ten people were killed and more than 200 injured Monday in a toxic gas leak in Jordan’s Aqaba port, the government spokesman said. Footage on state TV showed a large cylinder plunging from a crane on a moored vessel, causing a violent explosion of yellow gas.
The death toll rose to 10, Faisal al-Shaboul told AFP, revising an initial toll of five killed. Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh and Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya headed to the site of the accident, state media reported. Civil defence spokesman Amer al-Sartawy had earlier reported that 234 people were injured after the tank filled with toxic gas fell.
“Specialists and the hazardous substances team in the civil defence are dealing” with the incident, Sartawy added. According to Jordanian official sources, Aqaba’s southern beach was evacuated following the incident. Jordan’s Aqaba port is the country’s only marine terminal and a key transit point for a vast portion of its imports and exports
HUGE CLOUD OF TOXIC YELLOW GAS KILLS 13
'HORRIFYING.' JORDAN TV
Deadly Cloud
A massive cloud of yellow gas took the lives of at least 13 people after a crane accidentally dropped a chlorine gas tank onto a ship at a south Jordanian port on Monday.
A video shared by state-owned media shows a massive, yellow plume subsuming an entire cargo ship, a horrifying incident that shows the extraordinary danger of common chemicals.
Chlorine is used in a number of different ways, from swimming pools to sanitizing household water. But in high concentrations, as seen in the video, the gas can be deadly, causing fluids to build up in the lungs.
In fact, German troops released chlorine as chemical warfare along the western front during World War I against the French.
Alongside the 13 casualties, around 200 people were hospitalized after breathing in some of the toxic gas. Fortunately, according to authorities, the effects of the spill appear to be limited to the immediate area.
Residents of the city of Aqaba, which is ten miles away from the port, were advised to stay at home with the windows and doors closed, The Washington Post reports.
Prime minister Bisher al-Khasawneh visited a nearby hospital, guaranteeing "all resources to ensure the total security of workers at the ports and all necessary precautions in relation to hazardous materials," as quoted by the BBC.
READ MORE: Chlorine gas leak at port in Jordan kills at least 13, injures hundreds [The Washington Post]
Deadly Cloud
A massive cloud of yellow gas took the lives of at least 13 people after a crane accidentally dropped a chlorine gas tank onto a ship at a south Jordanian port on Monday.
A video shared by state-owned media shows a massive, yellow plume subsuming an entire cargo ship, a horrifying incident that shows the extraordinary danger of common chemicals.
Chemical Warfare
Chlorine is used in a number of different ways, from swimming pools to sanitizing household water. But in high concentrations, as seen in the video, the gas can be deadly, causing fluids to build up in the lungs.
In fact, German troops released chlorine as chemical warfare along the western front during World War I against the French.
Alongside the 13 casualties, around 200 people were hospitalized after breathing in some of the toxic gas. Fortunately, according to authorities, the effects of the spill appear to be limited to the immediate area.
Residents of the city of Aqaba, which is ten miles away from the port, were advised to stay at home with the windows and doors closed, The Washington Post reports.
Prime minister Bisher al-Khasawneh visited a nearby hospital, guaranteeing "all resources to ensure the total security of workers at the ports and all necessary precautions in relation to hazardous materials," as quoted by the BBC.
READ MORE: Chlorine gas leak at port in Jordan kills at least 13, injures hundreds [The Washington Post]
No comments:
Post a Comment