Deadly explosion rocks Spanish plastics factory: Three dead
At least three people were killed, and seven were injured, including three seriously, as a result of an explosion at a plastics factory in the town of Ibi in the province of Alicante, eastern Spain. The disaster occurred on Wednesday around 11 AM Greenwich Time.
The explosion happened on Wednesday (27th November) just before 11 AM Greenwich Time at a plastics (styrofoam) factory near the city of Alicante in southeastern Spain, reports the newspaper "El Pais".
Explosion at a Spanish factory. There are casualties
According to Alberto Martin, the general director of emergency services for the eastern Valencia region, there was an explosion of a boiler in the industrial zone of the town of Ibi, which caused a "shock wave" impacting the factory and a neighbouring company.
As a result of the blast, the building's roof and wall collapsed, and debris fell onto the neighbouring factory. Firefighters evacuated workers trapped under the rubble.
At the time of the explosion, there were 39 workers in the factory. Emergency services reported that three people died (two from the factory where the explosion occurred and one worker from the neighbouring company, on which part of the building collapsed), and seven were injured, with three of the injured in serious condition.
The causes of the disaster are being investigated. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed the government's "full support" for the victims, workers, and rescuers during a speech in parliament. The Ibi city council declared three days of mourning.
Source: "El Pais", AFP
