A ‘chemical accident’ beside the swimming pool of an Albufeira hotel created a “toxic cloud” of gases that prompted mass evacuation yesterday, and saw two holidaymakers and one hotel employee needing medical treatment.
The Scottish holidaymakers – described as a mother and her teenage son – suffered “irritation to their eyes and airways”, reports national tabloid Correio da Manhã. They were treated by INEM medical staff “at the scene” in the Brisa Sol hotel, while the hotel worker was taken to hospital.
The problem, say reports, was entirely ‘human error’.
The worker who got the full force of the fumes was “preparing to clean” the hotel pool, when he mistakenly combined hydrochloric acid with chlorine.
Science websites explain that the potentially-lethal combination has and still is used in some countries engaged in chemical warfare.
But in the case of Brisa Sol, it was a limited leak that prompted hotel staff to evacuate 200 people from the pool area of the hotel.
General manager Sérgio Azinheiro said the place was “completely full at the time”.
Once the noxious gases had dissipated and firemen sounded the all-clear, guests were allowed back and the pool reopened.
CM stresses done of the mismatched ‘cleaning product’ made it into the water.
