Explosion in a chemical factory in Slovenia with at least 10 wounded
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) – An explosion and fire at a chemical plant in southeastern Slovenia have left five people missing and fears they have died, officials said on Thursday.
The competent emergency services announced that after the explosion, which was reported around 8.30 (06.30 GMT) in the town of Kočevje, two more people were hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns.
The Melamine factory has about 200 employees. The company’s director, Srečko Štefanič, said that five missing people were probably buried under the rubble.
Stefanic said any bodies would be removed when the scene cools, perhaps on Friday. The missing “probably died because the explosion was so strong that there was no chance of them surviving,” Stefanic said.
People in critical condition were transported to the Ljubljana hospital. A total of 20 people sought some medical help, authorities said.
Stefanic said the explosion occurred during the transfer of a highly flammable substance. This is probably due to human error, he added.
The blast raised black smoke from the factory. Authorities, who initially asked people to stay indoors, later said previous tests showed no health hazards.
Locals say the blast shook the entire area. The city, about 55 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Ljubljana, has about 8,000 inhabitants.
Emergency agencies said they put out the blaze by mid-morning. According to them, the factory building was badly damaged.
Melamine manufactures chemical products, including melamine resins for the paper, construction, wood, rubber and varnish industries, impregnated decorative paper for the furniture industry and impregnated materials for the footwear industry.
The Slovenian News Agency described the explosion as “the worst industrial fire in the recent history of Slovenia”. Since 1995, 17 industrial fires have been reported, causing mostly material damage, the agency reported.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed without permission.