(Times of Israel) Over 80 people were treated for respiratory problems on both sides of the Israel-Jordan border on Thursday morning, amid warnings of an ecological disaster following a major oil spill overnight that flooded the highway leading into Eilat. The vast majority of those affected were in Jordan.
Traffic heading to the southern resort city was restarted Thursday morning after several hours of highway closure. The leak, near the village of Be’er Ora, was caused due to damage to the Trans-Israel pipeline, a major oil conduit between the Mediterranean and Red seas that runs from Eilat to Ashkelon.
In Jordan more than 80 people were hospitalized, including 30 workers at Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport. The city’s residents were ordered to remain indoors, Jordanian media reported.
