10 killed, 251 injured in chlorine gas leak in Jordan

At least 10 people were killed and 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank in Jordan's Aqaba port, as authorities called for residents to shut windows and stay indoors.

The leak came after a tank filled with 25 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.

Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and water purification agent, but if inhaled, the gas turns to hydrochloric acid, which can lead to internal burning and drowning through a reactionary release of water in the lungs.

Jordan's Aqaba grain silos stopped work but maritime traffic at Aqaba ports continues, according to the director-general of the Jordan Maritime Commission, Petra said.

The ships that were close to the area of the tank explosion were asked to stay away from the area immediately, director-general Muhammad Salman said.

Aqaba port at the north end of the Red Sea has been a major transit route for Iraqi imports and exports.

Specialised teams are still dealing with the leak, the Civil Defence service said on its Facebook page. State television said that evacuation aeroplanes were being sent into Aqaba.

Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh arrived in Aqaba and went to a hospital where some of the injured were being treated, state TV reported.

The information minister was quoted as saying that an investigation team was formed by Al Khasawneh, chaired by the interior minister.