As many as ten people died and more than 250 were injured in a toxic gas leak from storage tank at Jordan’s Aqaba port, news organisation Reuters reported on Monday, as authorities called on residents to shut windows and stay indoors.

According to Reuters, the leak came after a tank filled with toxic gas reportedly fell while being transported.

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A video posted on state television’s Twitter page showed a storage tank falling from a winch and slamming into the deck of a ship, followed by yellow-coloured gas rising into the air as people ran away.

Meanwhile, city health authorities called on residents to close their windows and stay in their homes.

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Specialised teams are still dealing with the leak, the Civil Defence service said on its Facebook page. Evacuation planes were being sent into Aqaba, state television said.

Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh was headed to Aqaba, state TV reported.

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Al-Khasawneh also formed an investigation team into the incident chaired by the interior minister, state TV cited the information minister as saying.

According to Reuters, the area where the explosion occurred on the Bay of Aqaba is situated 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 crossing.

Aqaba Governor Mohammad Al Radayaa said the situation “has been controlled”.

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 in an effort 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.