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Toxic gas leak at Jordan's Aqaba port kills 13, injures hundreds
A storage tank filled with toxic chlorine gas fell off a loading crane onto a ship in the southern port city of Aqaba, Jordan at 15h15 on Monday, 27 June 2022, releasing a huge cloud of noxious yellow gas and killing 13 people. Authorities have said at least 250 more were injured in the accident, which was caught on video by a security camera. The container was filled with between 25 and 30 tons of chlorine and was being exported to Djibouti.
State television showed the dramatic images caught by closed-circuit television cameras at the scene on Monday. It appears a steel cable holding the 25-ton shipping container snapped as it was being loaded onto the ship, leaving the container to slam down onto the ship's deck. The video shows dock workers running away from the area and a truck carrying a second gas tank quickly reversing away from the portside. Though chlorine is used widely as a disinfectant and water purification agent, it can be deadly if inhaled at high doses. Authorities immediately asked citizens of the port city to remain indoors, fearing further dissemination of the gas into residential neighbourhoods nearby. "At the time of disaster the wind was blowing at moderate speed towards the south and away from the city," Mohammed Al Shaker, CEO and meteorologist of ArabiaWeather Inc, said. He said "it was a blessing that the wind was blowing from the north. Had it been blowing from the south, it would have been more difficult to deal with." Still, the city's hospitals were so overwhelmed that the government opened up an emergency field hospital, built recently to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, to help care for the dozens of casualties. Some were reportedly in a critical condition. Officials including King Abdullah's son, Crown Prince Hussein, rushed to the city and promised a quick response to get Jordan's only seaport back up and running. They also promised a thorough inquiry to determine what caused the disaster. Most of the port was reopened within a day but the loading dock where the accident happened has remained closed. Chlorine is a chemical used in industry and in household cleaning products. It is a yellow-green gas at normal temperature and pressure but is usually pressurised and cooled to change it into a liquid for storage and shipment. When chlorine is inhaled, swallowed or comes into contact with skin, it reacts with water to produce acids that damage cells in the body. Inhaling high levels of chlorine causes fluid to build up in the lungs, a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema. Aqaba's southern beach, which is only 7km away and is a popular tourist destination, was also evacuated as a precaution. After several hours Minister of State for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul declared that there was no longer any risk to the city and its residents. The Civil Defence Department sent specialist teams to the port to deal with the leak and clean-up operation. Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh flew to Aqaba and visited a hospital that was treating some of the injured. He ordered Interior Minister Mazen Faraya to oversee a transparent investigation into the "regrettable" tragedy and to guarantee "all resources to ensure the total security of workers at the ports and all necessary precautions in relation to hazardous materials". The deputy director of Aqaba's port told AlMamlaka TV that an "iron rope" carrying the container "broke" while it was being loaded on to a vessel. Sources: BBC, CBS News |
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