Amman, June 29 (IANS) Death toll in the chlorine gas leak from a container at Jordan's Aqaba port rose to 13, state media reported.The deceased include five foreigners, state-run Petra news agency quoted Aqaba Governor Mohammad Al-Rafaa'a as saying. Over 250 people also got injured in the incident.Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh has expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims' families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.On Monday evening, he directed Interior Minister Mazen Faraya to lead a team to investigate the incident.According to a report in the BBC, a large cloud of bright yellow gas was seen spreading across the ground following the leakage, sending people running for safety.Chlorine is a chemical used in industry and in household cleaning products. It is a yellow-green gas at normal temperature and pressure, but is usually pressurised and cooled for storage and shipment.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 chlorine causes fluid to build up in the lungs, a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary oedema.
--IANS int/svn/
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