DEON P GREEN and Andre Williams
STAR Writers

Several persons were forced to seek medical attention after a discarded chlorine cylinder which ruptured emitted fumes that affected residents in Morant Bay yesterday.

Report reaching The Star are that several persons in the parish capital began fainting and other complaining of feeling nauseated. They were rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital after they inhaled an obnoxious odour coming from a building adjacent to the Morant Bay Tax Office.

Information reaching our news team is that the leak caused numerous persons within proximity to faint while others sought medical attention forthwith.

several businesses

THE STAR gathered that the spill occurred on Church Street.

Parish Disaster Co-ordinator for the parish Millicent Blake reportedly said the spill resulted from the explosion of a chlorine cylinder and has forced the shutdown of several businesses in Morant Bay.

Additionally, arrangements were being made to close several schools and other facilities in proximity to the scene of the chlorine explosion.

It's further understood that after a probe by the Morant Bay police and the fire department's Harzardous Material Team (HazMat) the National Water Commission was summoned and they managed to contain the leakage and remove the cylinder to Kingston for proper disposal.

It is theorised that the cylinder was discarded and buried on the compound for a number of years before it may have been tampered with. The noxious fumes caused businesses to close their doors and resulted in traffic being diverted.