A process for the removal of sour gas from pressurized natural gas which is polluted by sulphur compounds and other sour gas compounds includes initially feeding natural gas into a sour gas absorption unit, in which the sulphur components and any other components are absorbed by a physically acting solution yielding a sour gas rich absorbent. The absorbant is heated and fed into a high-pressure flash unit, in which the desorbed sour-gas is separated yielding a sour gas poor absorbent. The desorbed sour gas is cooled and the vaporized absorbent is condensed out of the sour gas stream. The sour-gas poor absorbent from the high-pressure flash unit is freed from residual sour gas in a gas stripping unit by stripping gas. The absorbent obtained in the sour gas unit is cooled and recycled permitting the desorbed sour gas to be condensed by cooling water or cooling air.