10 people died and more than 251 others were injured as a result of a toxic gas leak from a tanker in Aqaba that fell while being loaded onto a ship docked at the main port quay.

Eyewitnesses said that a crane had lifted the tanker off the back of a truck to load it onto the ship, and during that, it fell to the edge of the ship due to the crane chain breaking and exploded immediately, forming a large yellow cloud.

They indicated that "everyone on the port grounds left their places in search of a safe place, while others remained inhaling the toxic gas."

Immediately, the chemical team and civil defense personnel moved to the accident site and worked to evacuate the injured to city hospitals. At the same time, the Ministry of Health worked to open the field hospital in Aqaba dedicated to COVID-19 to receive cases of suffocation.

The security authorities closed the roads leading to the main port, isolated the port site, and evacuated the southern beach after the toxic gas leak from the tanker.

The spokesman for the Public Security Directorate, Amer Al-Sartawi, said earlier, "During the daily work at the Aqaba port, an incident occurred where a tanker filled with a toxic gas substance fell during transportation, resulting in a gas leak at the site."

Al-Sartawi added, "The area was immediately isolated, and specialists began dealing with the incident, while the civil defense transported a number of injuries to the hospital, all of whom are undergoing treatment."