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Explosion at Tarragona chemical plant, in photos

Two people were killed and eight more were injured in the blast; the shockwave caused a building located two kilometers away to partially collapse

El País

Tarragona - Jan 15, 2020 - 10:50CET

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Firefighters work to put out the blaze at the chemical plant. Environmental experts from the Catalan regional government say they have not detected any toxic agents in the air in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Firefighters worked into the night to put out the blaze, which is believed to have started in or near the reactor.

Civil Protection services said the explosion at the chemical plant did not cause a toxic cloud. In this photo, firefighters arrive at the site of the blaze.Josep Lluis Sellart

A large column of smoke caused by the explosion at the plant, which is run by the company Ethylene Oxide Industrial Chemicals (IQOXE) in the south of Tarragona.REUTERS

Catalan premier Quim Torra, deputy premier Pere Aragonés and the head of the regional interior department, Miquel Buch traveled to the site to follow the work of the emergency crew.JOSEP LLUÍS SELLART

View of the blaze that broke out at the IQOXE plant. Other companies operating at La Canonja Petrochemical Park include Dow Chemicals Ibérica and Cepsa, the oil and gas multinational.JOSEP LLUÍS SELLART

The firefighters say the fire is now “under control.” They are continuing to search the area for anyone who may have been trapped.JOSEP LLUÍS SELLART

The building in the Torreforta neighborhood, two kilometers from the site, where one man died after a shockwave from the blast caused it to partially collapse.JOSEP LLUÍS SELLART

The explosion was caused by the highly flammable gas ethylene oxide, and most likely occurred in the plant’s reactor.JAUME SANJUAN (EFE)

Ten firefighting crews are working to put out the blaze at the chemical plant, which makes a product that is used in the production of plastics, detergents and other consumer goods.JOSEP LLUÍS SELLART

Firefighters and police near the plant where the accident took place.EFE

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