Israel: Around 600,000 gallons of crude oil spills near Eilat city
Posted On: Dec. 5, 2014 12:00 AM CSTSome 600,000 gallons of crude oil has leaked from a pipeline at a desert near Israel's Eilat city, ThinkProgress reported citing media reports.
More than 80 people in the nearby Aqaba city in Jordan have been hospitalized for breathing difficulties as they were exposed to toxic fumes in the air. The spill is "one of the gravest pollution events in the country's history," said Guy Samet, an official at Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry. It could take months or even years to clean up the spill, said Mr. Samet.