Baghdad: The Civil Defense Directorate announced on Sunday the rescue of 10 people, the recovery of the bodies of two workers, and injuries to approximately 50 others following an ammonia gas leak at the Southern Fertilizer Company in Khor Al-Zubair, Basra.

According to Iraqi News Agency, the Directorate stated: “Under the real-time monitoring of the Director-General of Civil Defense, Major General Mohsin Kadhim Alak, and the direct supervision of the Basra Governorate Civil Defense Director, Brigadier General Mazen Mohammed Lafta, Civil Defense teams-comprising rescue units and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) response team-successfully brought under control an incident involving a leak of suffocating ammonia gas at the Southern Fertilizer Company (affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals) in the Khor Al-Zubair area of Basra Governorate.”

The statement detailed that field operations resulted in the rescue of 10 employees from the company’s facilities and the recovery of the bodies of two workers who perished in the incident. Additionally, teams attended to approximately 50 cases of suffocation among individuals; these victims were immediately transported via Civil Defense and Ministry of Health ambulances to receive necessary medical care.

The statement further explained that preliminary assessments indicated the incident was caused by an accidental gas leak, and specialized teams took all necessary measures to secure the site and fully contain the situation.