Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Jordan sacks officials blamed for ‘negligence’ over Aqaba gas leak

Aqaba gas leak
  • A tank of chlorine gas fell while being loaded by crane onto a ship in Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
  • At least 13 people, including five Vietnamese nationals, were killed and more than 260 others injured.
  • The container’s weight far exceeded the maximum load of the crane cable bearing it, said Mazen al-Faraya.

 

Jordan’s prime minister announced the dismissal of several officials on Sunday, blaming “negligence” for a toxic gas leak in Aqaba that killed at least 13 people.

Last Monday, a tank of chlorine gas fell while being loaded by crane onto a ship in Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba, releasing the toxic substance.

At least 13 people, including five Vietnamese nationals, were killed and more than 260 others injured, according to the latest official toll.

An investigation showed “great deficiency and negligence in safety measures for dealing with hazardous materials in the Aqaba port”, Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh said during a cabinet meeting.

The director and other officials from the state port operator as well as the head of the maritime authority were sacked, the premier added.

The gas canister’s weight far exceeded the maximum load of the crane cable bearing it, said Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya, who headed the investigation.

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Jordan probes toxic gas leak, death toll increases to 13

Jordan
  • Jordan’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into a chlorine gas leak that killed 13 people and injured over 300 in Aqaba.
  • The port began returning to normal Tuesday, with all but one dock due to reopen as further safety checks were to be carried out.
  • The chlorine escaped when the cable snapped on a crane loading a tank of liquefied gas onto a ship.

Jordan’s public prosecutor opened an investigation into a chlorine gas leak that killed 13 people and injured over 300 in the coastal city of Aqaba on Tuesday.

According to officials, at least four Asian migrants were killed on Monday when a tank of toxic gas fell on the dockside in the Red Sea port.

A judicial source told AFP that the country’s public prosecutor and team of forensic experts had moved “to examine and collect samples and evidence at the scene of the accident and initiate investigation procedures”.

As King Abdullah II chaired an emergency meeting of the government’s crisis cell, the country’s health minister said 332 people had been admitted to hospital after the incident, though most had since been discharged.

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FO condoles over tragic gas leak incident in Jordan

Chlorine gas leaked at Jordan's Aqaba port.

Pakistan expressed condolences over the tragic incident 12 people died, 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak Aqaba Port is a major route for Iraqi trade ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended condolences over the loss of lives as well as injuries in the tragic incident at Aqaba Port, Jordan. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson … Read more

Jordan calls for funding for major water project

major water project

AMMAN – Jordan’s Planning and International Cooperation Minister Nasser Shraideh on Tuesday underscored the importance of providing concessional funding for a major water project in the country. The Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance National Project, estimated to cost some 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, will be fully implemented on Jordanian soil to provide some 300 million … Read more