At least six dead in large explosion at a chemical factory in the Czech Republic
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Six people have been killed today in an explosion at a chemical plant in the Czech Republic. The explosion occured at a Unipetrol facility near the town of Kralupy nad Vltavou, north of Prague.
"We have received information about six dead and several others seriously injured," regional fire service spokeswoman Vladimira Kerekova told CTK news agency.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known. See video of emergency services arriving on the site here:
Allegedly the explosion occured about 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT) north of the town.
In a brief statement, Unipetrol said a fire broke out in a storage tank and that there was no further danger. Czech TV said there was no risk to residents in Kralupy as the plant is located a fair distance from the town.
Unipetrol is one of the largest oil distributing companies and producers of plastics in the Czech Republic.
The plant manufactures toughened polystyrene as well as synthetic rubber for shoes and sports equipment.
According British daily news site Express World News, officials have confirmed six people have died and at least four have been injured - allegedly it is the worst industrial accident in the Czech Republic in over 50 years.
A spokesman for Unipetrol, which operates a Synthos chemical facility at the chemical plant, said the “extraordinary event occurred in our premises”.
Several people had suffered "devastating" injuries when a tanker exploded, an official stated.
Fire spokeswoman Vladimara Kerekova said six people have died and an unspecified number are injured.
Four people have been treated for injuries so far, two of which are in a serious condition.
One 42-year-old male was taken from the building suffering from head injuries. Another person has burns to 10% of his body and a third has "devastating facial injuries".
A high-level trauma-plan has been activated at nearby hospitals.
A crisis meeting is being held by government officials.
Published by Bjorn Ulfsson / CTIF NEWS