In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers were alerted by London Fire Brigade at 9.53am on Wednesday to a leak of noxious fumes at the Aquatics Centre, Queen Elizabeth Park, E20.
“Officers
and London Ambulance Service have also attended the scene.
“A number
of people have been evacuated from the premises.”
According
to report, almost 30 people have been taken to hospital with breathing
difficulties after a “high quantity of chlorine gas” leaked in Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park in east London.
Around 200
people were evacuated from the Aquatics Centre on Wednesday morning, in what
was called a “major incident”.
Ambulance
crews took 29 people to hospital and assessed a further 48 at the scene, the
majority experiencing minor breathing difficulties.
People
could be seen being placed into ambulances while others were wrapped in
blankets.
Residents
in the area have been asked to close windows and doors.
Dozens of
emergency services vehicles and workers were in the area, with surrounding
roads cordoned off and members of the public denied access to the park.
The London
Ambulance Service said it also sent a helicopter to the scene.
Firefighters
began to ventilate the centre to disperse the chlorine into the atmosphere by
3pm.
The London
Fire Brigade tweeted: “Update Aquatic Centre in #Stratford. Due to a chemical
reaction a high quantity of chlorine gas was released inside the centre.
“While we
ventilate the premises we would ask those residents in the immediate vicinity
to close their doors and windows.”
The
Olympic Park Twitter account added: “There has been an incident @AquaticsCentre
this morning involving the release of a gas. The area has been cordoned off and
evacuated.
“We’re
working with emergency services on site. There are a number of casualties with
breathing difficulties being treated by @Ldn_Ambulance.”
Darren
Farmer, London Ambulance Service gold commander, said: “We sent a significant
number of resources including 13 ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, two
medics in fast response cars, two incident response officers, a medical
incident adviser and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).”
Mayor of
London Sadiq Khan said: “I remain in close contact with our emergency services
who are dealing with a gas-related incident at the London Aquatics Centre this
morning.
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