World News | Regional Health Alert Issued in Spain After Explosion at Chemical Plant Near Seville
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. An explosion at a chemical plant near the Spanish city of Seville on Wednesday sent a huge column of thick black smoke into the air and prompted authorities to warn residents to stay indoors.
Barcelona, May 14 (AP) An explosion at a chemical plant near the Spanish city of Seville on Wednesday sent a huge column of thick black smoke into the air and prompted authorities to warn residents to stay indoors.
Regional authorities for Andalusia reported two people were injured as a result of the blast. One plant worker suffered light burns and a firefighter felt ill, authorities said without giving more details.
It is the latest in a series of apparently unrelated incidents recently impacting Spain's infrastructure, including a nationwide power outage that also hit Portugal.
The fire prompted officials to send messages to the mobile phones of some 25,000 residents within a radius of three kilometres of the explosion recommending that they wear face masks or close their windows.
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The explosion occurred midday in an industrial park in the municipality of Alcala de Guadaíra, about 16 kilometres east of Seville's city centre. Emergency services cleared personnel from the plant site.
Authorities have not said what chemicals were involved in explosion.
Spanish state broadcaster TVE and other media, including the local Diario de Sevilla newspaper, reported that the explosion occurred on the premises of Plainsur, a company that packages and distributes chemical products. The company occupies some 11,000 m2 at the industrial plant, including a large warehouse, according to its website.
It is the second fire at a chemical plant in Spain in recent days.
On Saturday, a fire at a chemical factory in northeastern Spain forced emergency services to issue health warnings to 150,000 residents and stay-indoors orders for five nearby towns.
On April 28, the massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal. Authorities are still investigating but have ruled out a cyber attack or sabotage.
That was followed by major train disruption between Madrid and Seville, caused by thieves who stole copper cabling from a trail line. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)