39 fall ill in gas leak at Malaysia airport facility

July 4, 2024 14

Passengers stand in line at an AirAsia Bhd.’s check-in and baggage drop counter in the departure hall at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia, on Friday, June 21, 2024. There’s no end in sight to the high airfares that are a mainstay of the world’s post-pandemic travel boom, according to Asia’s biggest low-cost carrier. Photographer: KG Krishnan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A gas leak Thursday at an engineering section of Kuala Lumpur’s international airport saw 39 people fall ill, a Malaysian emergency services official said.

“A total of 39 victims suffered from dizziness and nausea,” local rescue officer Muhammad Nur Khairi Samsumin said in a statement.

He added that 24 victims were discharged, 14 others were at the Air Disaster Unit receiving care and one was hospitalised.

All of those affected work for three companies operating at the facility.

The incident did not disrupt air travel at the country’s top airport.

Muhammad Nur said the leaked gas was identified as methyl mercaptan, and the source was an “unused tank” at the facility.

“Work to cover the leak was being done by the emergency crew,” he said, adding that the tank would be dismantled and disposed off.

Muhammad Nur said methyl mercaptan is added to liquefied petroleum gas to give it a smell, alerting people to any leaks. The gas has a strong odour akin to rotten cabbages.

jsm/mba/rsc

AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)

Written by: Staff Writer

Air Disaster Unit engineering section gas leak Kuala Lumpur International Airport local rescue officer Malaysian emergency services Muhammad Nur Khairi Samsumin