Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced on Monday the death of two people and the injury of 114 others following an ammonia gas leak at a fertilizer plant in the southern province of Basra.

The spokesperson for the Health Ministry, Saif al-Badr, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that all the injured received the necessary medical treatment, and their conditions were monitored under the direction and supervision of Health Minister Abdul Hussein al-Moussawi.

Over 50 ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the incident to provide first aid and transport the injured to hospitals, according to al-Badr.

The Iraqi official explained that 21 of the injured remain hospitalized in different hospitals, with the majority of them in stable condition.

The initial reports of the incident emerged on Sunday evening following claims of suffocation and breathing difficulties caused by an ammonia leak from the factory.

Iraqi authorities have yet to reveal the source of the leak, the volume of gas discharged, or the duration of the incident.

Ammonia is widely used in fertilizer production. Exposure to high concentrations of the gas can cause eye and respiratory irritation and severe breathing difficulties. Extremely high levels of the ammonia gas can be life-threatening.

Authorities are awaiting the results of a technical investigation to determine whether the leak was caused by equipment malfunction, operational error, or another factor.