Explosion at Spanish plastics factory kills three, injures seven
At least three people were killed, and seven were injured, including three seriously, due to an explosion at a plastics factory in the town of Ibi, in the province of Alicante, eastern Spain. The disaster occurred on Wednesday around 6 AM Eastern Time.
The newspaper El Pais reported that the explosion took place on Wednesday, November 27, just before 6 AM Eastern Time, at a plastics (styrofoam) factory near Alicante, southeast Spain.
Explosion at a Spanish factory. There are casualties
According to Alberto Martin, the general director of emergency services for the eastern Valencia region, a boiler exploded in the industrial zone of the town of Ibi, causing a "shock wave" that impacted the factory and a neighbouring company.
The blast caused the building's roof and wall to collapse, with debris falling onto the neighbouring factory. Firefighters evacuated workers who were 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 under investigation. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez 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
