2022 Aqaba toxic gas leak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Port of Aqaba | |
| Date | 27 June 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location | Aqaba New Port, Jordan |
| Coordinates | 29°21′46.5″N 34°57′45.5″E / 29.362917°N 34.962639°E |
| Also known as | Port of Aqaba |
| Cause | Chemical storage container fell onto a docked ship in the port and ruptured, spilling 25 tons of chlorine |
| Deaths | 13 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 265 |
On 27 June 2022, a toxic gas leak occurred at the Port of Aqaba, Jordan, when a container carrying 25 tons of chlorine fell from a crane onto a docked ship and ruptured. The incident killed at least thirteen people and injured more than 265 people.
On 27 June 2022, 16:15 local time, a crane was loading one of several pressurized chemical storage containers onto the container ship Forest 6 for export to Djibouti.[1][2] The crane's cabling system failed, and one container, containing about 25 tonnes (55,000 lb) of chlorine, fell onto the ship and ruptured, causing the chemical to burst from the container. A cloud of bright yellow gas spread throughout the port as people ran away.[3][2] This accident caused thirteen deaths and 265 injuries at the port.[4]
According to Haj Hassan, deputy chief of the Aqaba Region Ports Authority, an "iron rope carrying a container containing a toxic substance broke, resulting in the fall and escape of the poisonous substance". The ship was waiting to load an additional 20 containers with high percentage chlorine.[5]
A video of the incident was posted to Twitter by Jordanian state TV[2] and another by the newspaper Al Ghad.[6]