2 Navy Sailors Injured During Gas Leak On Vessel At San Diego Shipyard

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two Navy personnel were injured Thursday during a gas leak aboard a guided-missile destroyer undergoing routine maintenance at a shipyard near Naval Base San Diego.

The escape of hazardous fumes on the USS Mustin at BAE Systems on Belt Street in Barrio Logan was reported about 10 a.m., Navy spokesman Lt. Ronan Williams said.

Emergency crews had the leak under control by shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Paramedics treated two sailors for trauma of undisclosed nature and severity at the scene, then took one of them to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest for further care and evaluation.

Though it was not immediately clear what type of chemical vapors escaped aboard the ship, the "source of the leak was found and isolated, and both (affected) spaces were found to be safe for entry," according to Williams.

"The incident remains under investigation," he said in the late afternoon.

— City News Service