By Tom Brown For Mailonline

Published: 14:14 EDT, 27 June 2022 | Updated: 04:57 EDT, 28 June 2022

Ten people are dead and 251 injured after a toxic gas tank exploded and released toxic gas over a Jordanian port when workers dropped it on to the dock of a ship.

Dramatic footage shows docking workers lifting the tank on to a container ship in Jordan's southern port city of Aqaba when it slipped from the hook, bursting and spreading deadly fumes around the port.

The crane can be seen dangling the container over the ship before releasing it early, letting it fall to the ground where it explodes in a plume of yellow smoke.

Workers were trying to place the tank on to a container ship, with officials said the cylinder contained chlorine about to be exported overseas.

Port workers were caught on camera trying to flee the fumes. 

A statement seen by the Jordan Times said the leak resulted from a technical malfunction in the switch of the 1,500-litre chlorine cylinder. 

At least 5 dead and 200+ injured following a toxic gas spill in Aqaba, #Jordan. pic.twitter.com/dQwQqlgzJM

Dramatic footage shows docking workers lifting the tank on to a container ship in Jordan's southern port city of Aqaba when it slipped from the hook, killing at least 10 people

The crane can be seen dangling the container over the ship before releasing it early, letting it fall to the ground where it explodes in a plume of yellow smoke

A statement seen by the Jordan Times said the leak resulted from a technical malfunction in the switch of the 1,500-litre chlorine cylinder

Port workers can be seen trying to flee the fumes as it spreads around the Jordanian docks

CDD teams administered first aid to the injured and took them to Princess Salma and Karak hospitals, a CDD statement said.

The directorate said authorities sealed off the area after evacuating the injured to hospitals and sent specialists in to address the situation.

Dr. Jamal Obeidat, a local health official, urged people to stay inside and close windows and doors.

The nearest residential area is 15 miles away, but it is impossible to say how far the substance might spread.

Chlorine, which is normally used to disinfect swimming pools and sanitize sewage, is toxic in concentrated doses.

Most incidents of chlorine poisoning result from ingesting household cleaners, as it is common in cleaning products.

Chlorine poisoning can cause symptoms throughout your body. Respiratory symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing and fluid inside the lungs.

In extreme cases, it can cause skin burns and vision loss, changing the pH balance of the blood.

The Imperial State of Germany used chlorine gas as a weapon against the allies during the First World War to clear enemy forward positions in the battle of Ypres - although France was actually was the first to use gas and the British later used it in combat.

It can react with water in the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, resulting in approximately 30,000 deaths on both sides.

The Geneva Protocol banned the use of chlorine gas in 1925.

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