8 charged over fatal gas leak in Jordan

AMMAN: Eight people were charged over the deadly chlorine gas leak in the southern Jordanian port city of Aqaba.

Jordanian Judicial Council spokesperson Walid Kanakreeh said the charges issued by the prosecutor general include offenses causing deaths and damages to others’ property, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the state-run Petra news agency.

They were also charged with violating the management instructions of hazardous materials and waste under Jordan’s Environmental Protection Law, Kanakreeh said.

Arrest warrants have been issued for the eight people, said the Jordanian Public Prosecution Office, adding that the investigation is still underway.

Thirteen people, including five foreigners, have been killed in the toxic gas leak on June 27 after a cable lifting a storage tank filled with 25 tonnes of chlorine snapped, sending the tank crashing down to the deck of a ship at the Aqaba port.