Malaysia: 39 People Fall Ill After Gas Leak at Kuala Lumpur Airport

A gas leak at an aircraft engineering facility at Kuala Lumpur International Airport sickened 39 people on Thursday, though no passengers were affected and there were no flight disruptions, Reuters reported.

The Selangor state fire department reported receiving an emergency call at 11:23 a.m. local time about a chemical leak at the Southern Support Zone Sepang Aircraft Engineering facility. The department dispatched personnel, including a hazardous materials team, to the scene.

The affected facility is separate from the passenger terminal, and those who fell ill were employees of three companies operating there, the fire department said in a statement. Thirty-nine workers reported dizziness and nausea; 14 were treated by the airport’s air disaster unit, and one was hospitalized.

The fire department confirmed there was no wider risk to public safety. The chemical involved was identified as methyl mercaptan, which is used as an odorant in liquefied petroleum gas. The leak originated from an unused tank at the facility.