Photos: Explosion at chemical plant in Spain kills 2, injures 8

A massive explosion at a petrochemical plant in northeastern Spain killed one person and injured at least nine others, three seriously, regional authorities said. A press spokesman for the port city of Tarragona, where the plant is located, said a preliminary investigation indicated the force of the blast killed an individual in a nearby neighborhood. Emergency services said that two of the injured were being treated for major burns. The civil protection agency in the Catalonia region called the blast a “chemical accident” and initially warned people in parts of the city of just over 130,000 and in nearby towns to refrain from going outside as preventive measures

Updated on: Jan 16, 2020 4:14 PM IST

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Smoke rises following a big explosion at an industrial hub near the port city of Tarragona, Spain. An explosion ripped through the facility, triggering a massive blaze which raged through the night. Rescuers found two bodies at a chemical plant in northeastern Spain on Wednesday. (David Oliete / AP)

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Bombers Generalitat Catalunya (Corps of Firefighters of Catalonia) shows firefighters trying to extinguish a fire at the IQOXE chemical plant. Tarragona’s old town is home to Roman ruins and sandy beaches but its outskirts house several chemical and oil refineries which created some 40,000 jobs which have drawn workers from across Spain and account for 25 percent of the country’s petrochemical sector. (Bombers Generalitat Catalunya / AFP)

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One person died when a sheet of metal flung into the air by the force of the blast crashed into an apartment several kilometres away in the Tarragona suburbs, the Catalan government said to AFP. Two others at site were rushed to hospital with severe burns, rescuers and local officials said, while one person sustained less serious burns and five others were lightly injured. (Bombers Generalitat Catalunya / AFP)

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Emergency responders are pictured following an explosion at a chemical factory in Tarragona. Catalan regional interior minister Miquel Buch confirmed the latest death, saying a body had been located under the rubble at the site on an industrial estate in La Canonja, just outside the northeastern port city of Tarragona. (Forta / REUTERS)

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Fire breaks out following an explosion at a chemical factory in Tarragona. The deputy head of the region’s civil protection division accused IQOXE of dragging its feet in providing details about the incident, which led to delays in warning the public. “This will kill us one day,” said Juan Gomez, as he cleared broken glass from the balcony of his home, adding it “can’t be healthy” to live so close to the plant. (Forta/Reuters TV via REUTERS )

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Fire is seen at a chemical factory after an explosion at the factory in Tarragona, Spain. “The (emergency) protocols were not followed,” Sergi Delgado told Catalan radio RAC1, saying IQOXE had not provided the necessary information for emergency workers to evaluate the situation and about whether there was a toxic cloud. “This led to delays.” (Nacho Doce / REUTERS)

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Firefighters spray water after a large fire broke out at the chemical factory. Jose Luis Morlanes, director general of IQOXE, insisted the company—whose products are used in antifreeze fluids, dehumidifiers, detergents and cosmetics—had done nothing wrong. “We have been coordinating very closely with the authorities and following all their instructions,” he told AFP. (Nacho Doce / REUTERS)