AQABA, Jordan, June 28, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Thirteen people were killed,
including at least four Asian migrants, when toxic chlorine gas escaped on
the dockside in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, officials said.
More than 250 people were injured in the accident Monday, of whom 123
remained in hospital on Tuesday, according to the latest toll update.
Most were being treated for the effects of breathing chlorine gas, a common
cleaning agent that also has a range of other industrial uses and can be
employed as a chemical weapons agent.
The port began returning to normal Tuesday, with all docks due to be reopen
except for Dock Four, where further safety checks were to be carried out,
said Interior Minister General Mazen al-Faraya.
"The situation in Aqaba is now under control," Prime Minister Bisher al-
Khasawneh told state television after visiting the port late Monday.
The chlorine escaped when the cable snapped on a crane loading a tank of
liquefied gas onto a ship, sending it crashing to the ground on the dockside.
The force of the fall punctured the pressurised container, enveloping the
freighter Forest 6 in a shroud of the bright yellow gas, closed circuit TV
images from the port showed.
The fallen white tank, punctured and stained yellow from where the gas burst
out, came to rest on the dock directly beside the Forest 6 vessel. Ship-
tracking websites say the deck cargo ship was built only this year and sails
under a Hong Kong flag.
The nearby south beach, which is popular with tourists, was evacuated after
Monday's accident, as were adjacent residential areas but residents were
later told they could return to their homes.
Aqaba tourist department official Nidal al-Majali said the lack of wind on
Monday helped to prevent the gas cloud spreading outside the port.
Jordan's Aqaba port is the country's only maritime gateway and a transit
point for the lion's share of its imports and exports.
Chlorine has a range of industrial uses and is infamous for its use as a
chemical weapons agent in World War I. It attacks the respiratory system,
skin and eyes.