11 People Suffer Suffocation Cases Following Ammonia Gas Leak in Aqaba

Al-Taj News – 11 people were injured on Monday following an ammonia gas leak in the city of Aqaba, according to Dr. Nidal Al-Aouran, Commissioner for Environmental Affairs and Public Safety at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.

Al-Aouran said on Monday that the leak at the industrial complex in Aqaba was brought under control shortly after it occurred.

Speaking from the incident site, he added that Civil Defense personnel and security agencies were present at the site, stressing that technical verification had confirmed that the problem had been brought under control.

He explained that the incident resulted in 11 cases of suffocation, ranging from mild to moderate.

He noted that some of the cases were receiving treatment at the industrial complex clinic, while others were transferred to the hospital.

He explained that the incident occurred during maintenance work on one of the old pumps or pressure devices, where there had previously been an accumulation of ammonia gas, leading to a small amount of it leaking during the maintenance work.

He noted that the incident occurred at noon on Monday, explaining that the leak resulted in 11 cases of suffocation, ranging from mild to moderate.

He said that some of the injured received treatment at the industrial complex clinic, while others were transferred to the hospital, according to information provided by personnel at the industrial complex clinics and Civil Defense.

Regarding the evacuation of workers, Al-Aouran confirmed that the evacuation was carried out as a precautionary measure followed under the emergency plans in the industrial area.

He added that workers would be allowed to return to their workplaces after Authority personnel and the relevant authorities conduct an additional inspection to ensure that there are no risks, carry out the necessary measurements, and then instruct the facilities to resume work.