Wednesday, January 15, 2020
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An explosion occurs in a chemical park in Catalonia. The pressure wave can be felt for miles, parts fly through the air and cause serious damage. In the meantime the number of dead has risen to three. What led to the accident is still unclear.
After an explosion in a Spanish chemical park, the death toll has risen to three. A man was killed in a hospital in Barcelona, the media said, citing the authorities. Another man had died on Tuesday evening when his home was hit by a 800 kilogram metal plate that had been thrown through the air for miles. The fire department said that the roof of his apartment on the second floor had collapsed.
Eyewitnesses spoke of a “scary fireball” in Torreforta, a suburb of the city of Tarragona in the northeast of the country. The body of a missing chemical company employee had been found in the rubble. According to the regional government, several people were injured in the explosion. Most of them are employees of the company, and one of the residents of the house in Torreforta was also injured.
The cause of the accident that occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday is still unclear. The authorities initially warned of toxic fumes and called on residents not to go outside. The civil defense gave the all-clear after about two hours.
Even for a long time after the explosion a high cloud of smoke was visible from afar, as video recordings and photos on social networks showed. The blast was felt for miles. Several streets and train traffic were blocked for hours. The fire brigade fought the flames overnight with a large contingent. The chemical plant produces ethylene oxide – a highly flammable gas that is used in the manufacture of cleaning agents and solvents, among other things.
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