Chlorine gas leak affects 475 in southwestern Iran

At least 475 people, including nine firemen, have suffered respiratory and other symptoms after a chlorine gas leak in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan, the chancellor of Dezful University of Medical Sciences says.

Speaking to IRNA on Sunday, Yousef Paridar said the victims had been taken to hospitals and medical centers in the city of Dezful after the gas leak last night.

"Some 320 of the injured people were treated at Dezful's hospitals and the rest have been treated in other medical facilities across the city," the official said.

He noted that most of the individuals suffered minor respiratory problems and were discharged from hospitals, adding that some 40 others were still under treatment and were expected to be discharged in coming hours.

Asked about the death of a 50-year-old man, Paridar noted that it was not clear that the cause of his death was chlorine poisoning and the exact cause of death would be announced after adequate medical tests were carried out.

Chlorine gas lead took place last night at an abandoned warehouse and it took four hours before emergency teams and firefighters managed to bring the situation under control.

According to Habibollah Assefi, the governor of Dezful, the incident happened after a thief tried to steal the valve of a chlorine gas cylinder from a local water supply facility warehouse in the city.

He added that after the thief tampered with the valve, the gas gushed out of the cylinder, which made the thief flee from the scene.

The governor said that the leak was related to only one gas cylinder, but the area was now clear of gas and totally safe for citizens.

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