Tragedy strikes Spanish plastics factory: 3 dead, 7 injured
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 6 AM Eastern Time.
6:26 PM EST, November 27, 2024
The newspaper El Pais reports that the explosion happened on Wednesday (November 27) just before 6 AM Eastern Time at a plastics (styrofoam) factory near the city of Alicante in 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" to impact the factory and a neighboring company.
As a result of the blast, the building's roof and walls collapsed, and debris fell onto the neighboring 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 neighboring 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 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
