At least five Vietnamese people died and seven others were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank at Aqaba Port, Jordan this week.

Gas explosion at Aqaba Port, Jordan on June 27. Photo: Mathrubhumi News Screengrab

The Vietnamese mission in Saudi Arabia and Jordan is requesting Jordan authorities to expedite visa procedures so that the affected people’s relatives could fly to Jordan for funerals and to bring back the remains of the victims who worked for Hong Kong-flagged Forest 6 VRUK3 vessel.

The Vietnamese victims are among 13 lives claimed in an explosion that also injured some other 250 people.

In the latest move, Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs asked two labor companies (that sent those workers abroad) to take responsibility for the funerals and the return of remains.

A huge explosion of toxic substance occurred when a crane loading chlorine tanks onto a ship in Jordan’s port of Aqaba on June 27 dropped one of them.

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son calls Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi on June 29. Photo: MOFA

After the tragic incident, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on June 29 called Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi requesting cooperation and support in the citizen protection, funerals, and return of the victims, urging Jordan to investigate the case. 

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh confirmed on June 29 that the results of the investigation into the deadly gas leak in Aqaba will be made public “transparently and objectively,” Jordanian state news agency Petra reported.

During the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Khasawneh also expressed condolences to the families of the Aqaba port victims and wished a speedy recovery for those injured. He praised the efforts of state institutions in containing the gas leak, adding that all efforts were done under the supervision and guidance of King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, according to Arab News.

Hotlines for citizen protection are available at (+84)981848484 and (+966)583245255 by the Embassy of Vietnam in Saudi Arabia.

Chlorine is a chemical used in industry and in household cleaning products. It is a yellow-green gas at normal temperature and pressure. When chlorine is inhaled, swallowed, or comes into contact with skin, it reacts with water to produce acids that damage cells in the body. Inhaling high levels of the gas causes fluid to build up in the lungs, a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema.