• Jordanian emergency services and forensics experts inspect the site of a toxic gas explosion in the Red Sea port of Aqaba. AFP
    Jordanian emergency services and forensics experts inspect the site of a toxic gas explosion in the Red Sea port of Aqaba. AFP
  • At least 13 people were killed and 250 injured. AFP
    At least 13 people were killed and 250 injured. AFP
  • Shipping was halted and beaches evacuated near the country's only port. AFP
    Shipping was halted and beaches evacuated near the country's only port. AFP
  • The chlorine gas explosion took place on Monday. AFP
    The chlorine gas explosion took place on Monday. AFP
  • Authorities investigate the scene of the aftermath of the explosion of a tank containing large amounts of the toxic chlorine gas in Aqaba. EPA
    Authorities investigate the scene of the aftermath of the explosion of a tank containing large amounts of the toxic chlorine gas in Aqaba. EPA
  • Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh talks to reporters as he visits the scene. AFP
    Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh talks to reporters as he visits the scene. AFP
  • Jordanian state TV footage shows the moment a large cylinder falls from a crane and hits a moored vessel, causing a violent explosion. AFP
    Jordanian state TV footage shows the moment a large cylinder falls from a crane and hits a moored vessel, causing a violent explosion. AFP
  • The explosion was one of Jordan's worst accidents in recent years and more deaths could be linked to the blast. Photo: Jordan TV
    The explosion was one of Jordan's worst accidents in recent years and more deaths could be linked to the blast. Photo: Jordan TV
  • An injured man is transported to hospital after the explosion. AFP
    An injured man is transported to hospital after the explosion. AFP
  • People injured in the explosion receive medical care at the Jordanian Islamic Hospital in Aqaba. EPA
    People injured in the explosion receive medical care at the Jordanian Islamic Hospital in Aqaba. EPA
  • A man injured in the explosion receives medical care at the Jordanian Islamic Hospital in Aqaba. EPA
    A man injured in the explosion receives medical care at the Jordanian Islamic Hospital in Aqaba. EPA
  • One of the people injured in the explosion lies in a hospital bed in Aqaba. EPA
    One of the people injured in the explosion lies in a hospital bed in Aqaba. EPA
  • People stand outside a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters
    People stand outside a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters
  • According to official sources, Aqaba's southern beach was evacuated following the incident. AFP
    According to official sources, Aqaba's southern beach was evacuated following the incident. AFP
  • The government has urged citizens not to approach the site of the accident and added that medical reinforcements are being sent to Aqaba. AFP
    The government has urged citizens not to approach the site of the accident and added that medical reinforcements are being sent to Aqaba. AFP
  • The tank that fell while being transported, causing a toxic gas leak in Jordan's Aqaba port. AFP
    The tank that fell while being transported, causing a toxic gas leak in Jordan's Aqaba port. AFP
  • A military helicopter is pictured near a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters
    A military helicopter is pictured near a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters
  • Members of the Jordanian Gendarmerie stand outside a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters
    Members of the Jordanian Gendarmerie stand outside a hospital after the toxic gas leak. Reuters

Jordan: Aqaba port chlorine gas explosion kills at least 13 and injures 250


  • English
  • Arabic

A chlorine gas explosion at Jordan's only port of Aqaba killed at least 13 people and injured 250 on Monday, authorities said.

“We advise citizens in Aqaba to stay indoors and close the windows,” Jamal Obeidat, head of the Aqaba Health Department, told state television.

Mr Obeidat said the situation was critical and there could be more deaths linked to the leak.

The explosion is one of Jordan's worst accidents in recent years. A flash flood near the Dead Sea in 2018 killed 21 people, most of them students on a school bus.

Amer Al Sartawi, spokesman for the General Security Directorate, said a tank "filled with a toxic gaseous substance fell during transport, which led to a gas leakage at the site".

Footage broadcast by state media shows a crane loading a large tank onto a vessel. The tank falls from a winch and crashes onto the deck of the ship before exploding in a plume of yellow smoke. Port workers can be seen trying to flee.

Officials said the cylinder contained 25 tonnes of chlorine destined for export.

Aqaba beaches were evacuated and shipping was halted, state television said.

Information Minister Faisal Al Shboul said the government had sent a field hospital and medical equipment to Aqaba. At least one plane arrived from Amman to evacuate the injured, state media said.

The area where the explosion occurred in the Bay of Aqaba is 20 kilometres from Israel's southern city of Eilat. Aqaba has a population of 188,000 people and 50,000 people live in Eilat, with the two cities connected by a land border.

Aqaba governor Mohammad Al Radayaa said the situation had been brought under control.

Jordan has been struggling economically and unemployment is at an official high of about 24 per cent. In the past three years, authorities opened Aqaba up to cheap flights from Europe to promote tourism.

In addition to the Red Sea, many tourists use Aqaba as a base to visit nearby the Nabataean city of Petra, which is two hours away.

Notable Yas events in 2017/18

October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)

December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race

March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event

March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge

57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier

Results

UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs

Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets

Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets

Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets

Semi-finals

UAE v Qatar

Bahrain v Kuwait

 

Switching%20sides
%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.

Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.

Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.

Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

WWE TLC results

Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins

Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles

Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax

Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match

Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre

Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match

Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match

Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day

R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

RESULT

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5

Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%202%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Soudal%E2%80%93Quick-Step%20-%2018%E2%80%9911%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20EF%20Education%20%E2%80%93%20EasyPost%20-%201%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ineos%20Grenadiers%20-%203%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classification%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenadiers%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%E2%80%93Quick-Step%20-%20ST%3Cbr%3E3.%20Nikias%20Arndt%20(GER)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%203%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: June 19, 2023, 12:07 PM