HCMC – Five Vietnamese were killed and seven other Vietnamese were injured in a poisonous gas explosion at the Aqaba Port in Jordan on June 27.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which is also in charge of diplomatic tasks in Jordan, has stated that the incident has left a total of 13 people dead and 251 others injured. All Vietnamese victims are crew members onboard Forest 6, a cargo vessel, the local media reported.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, in his phone conversation with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi on June 29, urged the Jordanian authorities to quickly investigate the cause of the explosion and complete post-mortem procedures for the deceased.
Minister Son also requested Jordan to support the Vietnamese Embassy to help Vietnamese citizens involved in the incident.
Jordanian officials earlier said that the explosion occurred when a crane was loading tanks of chlorine onboard before transporting them to Djibouti. A tank containing 25 tons of the gas fell from the crane and spread the toxic fumes.
After receiving the news, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to work with the Jordanian authorities to support Vietnamese victims.
The embassy has already begun operations to aid injured Vietnamese citizens.
Vietnamese citizens, in need of support, should contact the Citizen Protection Hotline at (+84) 981848484 or the hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia at (+966) 583.245.255.
