Ammonia gas leak in Jordan’s Aqaba industrial area injures 11 people

At least 11 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.

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.