Ammonia gas leak in Jordan’s Aqaba industrial area injures 14 people
State news channel Al-Mamlaka says the southern port of Aqaba was evacuated as a precaution following reports of the gas leak.
At least 14 people have been injured in an ammonia gas leak in Jordan’s Aqaba industrial complex, local media reported.
The state news channel, Al-Mamlaka, reported on Monday that the southern port of Aqaba was evacuated as a precaution after the gas leak, with 11 people initially reported to have been affected.
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Governor of Aqaba Ayman Awaysheh later reported that 14 people had been injured during the gas leak, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency, with four cases hospitalised.
The commissioner for environment and public safety at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Nidal Al-Ouran, said the leak had been contained and that the injuries ranged from minor to moderate.
He said the incident occurred during maintenance work on an old pump or pressure equipment in the southern industrial area of Aqaba, away from residential areas. Ammonia gas that had accumulated in the equipment leaked in a small quantity, he said.
Without naming it, Al-Ouran said the maintenance work was being carried out for a Japanese company.
Workers would be allowed to return to their sites after teams from the authority and other relevant agencies carried out another inspection, took the necessary measurements and confirmed there were no remaining risks, he said.
