A gas leak at the First Dammam Industrial City Tuesday evening caused panic among the residents of Greater Dammam Area, prompting the local Directorate of Civil Defense to cordon off the area. An advisory was also issued urging people to stay indoors. Police and Civil Defense officials reached the affected site to monitor the situation. Operations of companies and manufacturing establishments within the area were also suspended and employees sent home. The Ministry of Education also suspended Wednesday's classes in all schools within the Greater Dammam Area as most of the Saudi and international schools are located inside the affected zone. The Dammam-Al-Khobar Highway was clogged in the morning hours after the Civil Defense closed all entrances leading into the industrial city. An official notice from the Civil Defense said the company affected by the leakage was the Middle East Engineering Company. A spokesman of the local Civil Defense said authorities at the First Dammam Industrial City coordinated with the concerned government sectors in containing the leak. He did not say when the problem would be resolved. __
