A official from the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority in Jordan clarified that the cases of suffocation reported at the southern port early Tuesday were caused by slight increases in dust levels. The official stated that the operations room in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone was informed at 12:15 AM about emissions and gas odors in the southern beach port area.
He reported that twenty employees from the port company were treated for breathing difficulties while working in the southern industrial area and the ports. After medical examination and stabilization of all cases' health conditions, the medical recommendation concluded that no medical intervention was needed due to the situation at the work site, as all cases recovered afterwards.
He confirmed that the Aqaba Authority has been monitoring readings from the air quality monitoring station located at the southern ports, which indicated that all gas readings were within Jordanian standards and permissible limits, except for slight increases in dust levels that exceeded 200 micrograms per cubic meter compared to the normal averages in the area. Additionally, completely stagnant weather conditions contributed to the accumulation of dust in the surrounding atmosphere.
He noted that precautionary measures have been activated in the industrial facilities operating in the area by halting all operations until the stagnant weather condition passes.
