Kuala Lumpur airport gas leak: 39 people fall ill

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]: At least 39 people have fallen ill after a gas leak at Malaysia's major international airport, Al Jazeera reported on Friday citing authorities.

Incident and Immediate Response
Responding to a report of the incident, fire services on Thursday said that the chemical leak was reported at an aircraft engineering facility separate from the passenger terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, as per the Selangor State Fire Department.

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

Affected Individuals
Authorities said that one of the patients was hospitalised and the other fourteen were transported to the air disaster unit for treatment, reported Al Jazeera. The impacted individuals are all employed by three companies that use the site.

 Public Safety and Flight Operations
According to officials, there was no increased risk to public safety and the incident did not affect travelers or flights.

Source of the Leak
According to the police, a skid tank that had been neglected for nine years was the source of the gas leak.

 Identification of the Gas
According to Muhammad Nur, the gas leak was identified as methyl mercaptan, which is added to liquefied petroleum gas to make it smell like rotten cabbages to identify leaks.

(With ANI inputs)