Spain explosion: Huge blast kills one after 'chemical emergency' at Tarragona factory
Eight injured in blast at petrochemical plant in port city of Tarragona
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One person was killed and at least eight people were injured in a large explosion at a petrochemical plant in northeastern Spain.
Emergency services for the Catalonia region described the blast at the port of Tarragona on Tuesday evening as a “chemical accident”.
They later confirmed one person had died after a nearby building collapsed. The injured included two people with major burns. One other person was reported missing.
Videos of the blast posted online showed a massive ball of fire rising into the sky followed by a large column of black smoke
The explosion prompted authorities to issue a ‘chemical emergency’ alert advising the city’s 800,000 residents to stay indoors and close their windows.
Twenty-nine fire engines, eleven medical vehicles, a helicopter and several units equipped with radiological, nuclear, biological and chemical equipment responded to the incident.
However the civil defence agency later reassured nearby residents: “There is no evidence of a toxic cloud.”
The fire brigade confirmed the explosion involved a chemical tank at Industrias Quimicas del Oxido de Etileno.
“We continue to extinguish the fire of the ethylene oxide tank, cooling the neighboring tanks where there are also chemicals, and inspecting the whole premises to rule out more people being affected,” the force tweeted.
Tarragona is located 70 miles south west of Barcelona, the regional capital of Spain’s Catalonia region.
It follows a major fire at a solvent and industrial residues recycling plant in the northeastern town of Montornes del Valles last month.
After that blast, authorities had to cordon off a 500 metre-wide area around the plant.
Additional reporting by agencies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments