Chlorine leak at London's Olympic Park, 29 people taken to hospital

Emergency crews and vehicles are pictured outside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park following a leak of noxious fumes, in London, Britain March 23, 2022.

More than 25 people were taken to hospital on Wednesday after a leak of a high quantity of chlorine gas at the swimming pool used for the London Olympics, emergency services said.

The London Fire Brigade said that around 200 people had been evacuated from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park's aquatics centre, after it was called at around 0945 GMT to the east London site, which hosted Summer Olympics events ten years ago.

"Due to a chemical reaction a high quantity of chlorine gas was released," London Fire Brigade said in a statement, asking nearby residents to close their doors and windows while the building was ventilated.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which manages the park, said the immediate area had been cordoned off.

London Ambulance described it as a major incident and said they had sent 13 ambulance crews as well as several other teams in repsonse. Ambulances took 29 patients to hospital and a further 48 were assessed at the scene.

"The majority of patients were reporting minor breathing difficulties," it said in a statement.

Source: Reuters / Reporting by Muvija M and Alistair Smout, Editing by Kylie MacLellan