ICYMI – a cloud of poisonous gas killed at least 13 and injured hundreds at a Red Sea port in Jordan when a crane hoisting a container was unintentionally dropped to the deck below causing it to burst.
State-owned al-Mamlaka TVA released a video from nearby surveilance that revealed the container being carried by a crane prior to it falling, letting loose a toxic cloud of yellow gas onto a ship and inside the port. The video revealed individuals fleeing after the container dropped.
Jordan’s National Center for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM) released a statement:
“At 4:15 p.m. on Monday afternoon, a chlorine gas leak occurred in the port of Aqaba due to the fall and explosion of a tank containing this substance.”
The mishap led to the deaths of 13 people and hurt a minimum of 250, according to the state-owned media.
Crane drops tank with poisonous gas in Jordan's Aqaba port; at least 10 dead, 251 injured https://t.co/wV4wDL2ixb
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 27, 2022
According to The National News, General Security Directorate spokesperson, Amer Al Sartawi, stated the crane dropped the tank throughout transport, launching the chlorine gas.
The lethal chlorine gas explosion caused shipping to shut down in Aqaba — Jordan’s only port– and authorities closed nearby beaches, The National News reported.
Hours after the disaster, the prime minister of Jordan and other government officials examined the accident site and stated there was no longer a danger to public health.
“The scenario in Aqaba is now below control,” Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh informed the state-owned media outlet.
The Daily Caller dropped some details:
Aqaba Gov. Mohammad Al Radayaa said the port’s explosion “has been controlled,” but the Aqaba Health Department head Jamal Obeidat is still recommending people take shelter inside, according to the outlet. “We advise citizens in Aqaba to stay indoors and close the windows,” Obeidat said. “This gas is critical.”
Officials said the gas tanker was holding 25 tonnes (27.56 tons) of chlorine gas, reported The National News.
Information Minister Faisal Al Shboul said the government scrambled to set up a field hospital and medical equipment. The government also sent at least one plane to the city to complete medical evacuations, the National News reported.
In an update, around 123 people still remained within the health facility.
Amongst the injured, 123 are getting treatment in medical centers. Some 45 of them are workers from the Public Security Directorate, Civil Defense, and Gendarmerie Cadres First Responders, according to the nation’s Public Security Directorate.
Close-by medical facilities dealing with the injured reached full capacity, according to Jordanian state television, mentioning the head of the Aqaba Health Directorate, Jamal Obeidat.
