LONDON — A chlorine gas leak forced the evacuation of London's former Olympics aquatic center, with medics treating several people on site for breathing difficulties, officials said Wednesday.
"Due to a chemical reaction a high quantity of chlorine gas was released," the London Fire Brigade said in a statement.
It said around 200 people were evacuated from the facility, in the east of the capital. It asked residents in the area to close their doors and windows while the site was ventilated.
Calling it a "major incident," the London Ambulance Service said in a tweet that it was treating "a number of patients."
"There has been an incident @AquaticsCentre this morning involving the release of a gas," the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park said in a tweet. "There are a number of casualties with breathing difficulties being treated," it added.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a tweet that he was in close contact with emergency responders and asked for people to avoid the area.
The center was home of aquatics events during the 2012 Summer Olympics and is now open to the public.