Several officials sacked after deadly gas leak in Jordan
Experts investigating the container fall in Aqaba port
Several senior Jordanian officials have been sacked after a chlorine leak last Monday in the port of Aqaba killed 13 people and injured more than 260, Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh announced on Sunday. /p>
The chlorine leak occurred after a container with liquid gas that was being transported by a crane fell, before it fell on a boat, releasing a thick yellow cloud.
Aqaba, one of the main ports on the Red Sea, is also the only one in the Hashemite Kingdom, through which most Jordanian imports and exports pass. The city is also a major seaside resort.
Mr Khasawneh told a cabinet meeting that the investigation had found gross negligence on procedures security and the treatment of hazardous materials in the port of Aqaba.
For his part, the Jordanian Minister of Interior, Mazen al-Faraya, who chaired the commission of inquiry, confirmed during a press conference that negligence at several levels was at work. #x27;cause of the accident.
A surveillance camera captured the scene when the crane cable gave way and dropped a container of chlorine in gaseous state.
He pointed in particular to the responsibility of the director general of the Jordanian Maritime Authority, the director general of the company managing and operating the ports of Aqaba, as well as two other heads. department of this company.
Officials, according to the investigation, failed to take the necessary precautions for public safety when loading these hazardous materials.
“The weight of the container was 28.9 tons, three times the cable capacity of 8.6 tons, resulting in his breakup.
— Mazen al-Faraya, Jordanian Interior Minister
According to him, the investigation proved that certain tasks in the port were assigned to unskilled employees.
In addition, 95% of the approximately 2,300 employees at the port of Aqaba went on strike on Sunday, according to a union leader.
< p class="e-p">They are protesting against security breaches at the port, which have left their colleagues dead and injured, Ahmed Amayreh, head of the port workers' union, told AFP .
