Luqa - Malta
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Two dead, two fight for their lives in fireworks factory explosion
by Paul Cachia, di-ve news (pcachia@di-ve.com)
ZEBBUG, Malta (di-ve news)--July 04, 2005 -- 1545CEST Updated 2300CEST--Two men died and another two are fighting for their lives in a huge explosion at the San Guzepp fireworks factory, in the limits of Siggiewi.
Three other men had a lucky escape when part of the five-room fireworks factory complex they were working in exploded.
The first explosion was followed by other smaller blasts of petards which continued to go off because of the fire. The first explosion on Monday afternoon was heard from several areas in Malta, including neighbouring villages but also Ta' Xbiex, Luqa and Valletta. The incident occurred at 1545CEST.
Three workers were outside the building when they heard the deafening explosion and saw smoke billowing out from the nearby room.
Two men were immediately extracted from under the rubble, where one of them, was certified in imminent danger of dying as a result of burns and another one was certified in danger of dying but in a stale condition.
Clouds of toxic fumes from the burning explosives, chemicals and plastic were strewn all over the fields, where people were seen running out of buildings to see what had happened.
Members of the Civil Protection Unit, the Police, Armed Forces' Bomb disposal Unit and the Fire-Brigade were all soon on the scene of the incident, but were unable to take any action immediately because the factory was in danger of exploding further.
Fire engines could not reach the factory because the roads across the fields were far too narrow and people thronged to the scene to check that their relatives and friends were safe.
Under visible shock, members of the San Guzepp Brass Band tried to confirm who was supposed to be inside the factory at the time of the explosion.
The two other corpses could not be extracted immediately since there were various small explosions following the incident. Members of the bomb disposal unit then hauled out the bodies from beneath the rubble the chain of explosions subsided, an hour later.
Although the rooms which exploded were located away from the main factory because of the high-risk procedure, there was an imminent danger of a strong explosion that will flatten the storeroom of the fireworks factory, which is full of explosives.
This fireworks factory complex is one of the biggest and possibly best-stocked factories in Malta, preparing fireworks for the feast which is to be held on the last weekend of July.
This is the third time that factory belonging to the San Guzepp Brass Band exploded. A similar explosion seriously injuring two men occurred on the same day six years ago.
Duty Magistrate Antonio Mizzi was informed about the case and appointed architect Richard Aquilina, to assist him in the inquiry.
However, Dr. Mizzi was advised by the AFM's Explosives Ordinance Division not to conduct any on-site inquiry before Wednesday due to the high risk involved.
Photos by people near by.
Photos by gurnalists.
We muorn the dead, pray for the Injured, and pray for all their family members and friends.
by Paul Cachia, di-ve news (pcachia@di-ve.com)
ZEBBUG, Malta (di-ve news)--July 04, 2005 -- 1545CEST Updated 2300CEST--Two men died and another two are fighting for their lives in a huge explosion at the San Guzepp fireworks factory, in the limits of Siggiewi.
Three other men had a lucky escape when part of the five-room fireworks factory complex they were working in exploded.
The first explosion was followed by other smaller blasts of petards which continued to go off because of the fire. The first explosion on Monday afternoon was heard from several areas in Malta, including neighbouring villages but also Ta' Xbiex, Luqa and Valletta. The incident occurred at 1545CEST.
Three workers were outside the building when they heard the deafening explosion and saw smoke billowing out from the nearby room.
Two men were immediately extracted from under the rubble, where one of them, was certified in imminent danger of dying as a result of burns and another one was certified in danger of dying but in a stale condition.
Clouds of toxic fumes from the burning explosives, chemicals and plastic were strewn all over the fields, where people were seen running out of buildings to see what had happened.
Members of the Civil Protection Unit, the Police, Armed Forces' Bomb disposal Unit and the Fire-Brigade were all soon on the scene of the incident, but were unable to take any action immediately because the factory was in danger of exploding further.
Fire engines could not reach the factory because the roads across the fields were far too narrow and people thronged to the scene to check that their relatives and friends were safe.
Under visible shock, members of the San Guzepp Brass Band tried to confirm who was supposed to be inside the factory at the time of the explosion.
The two other corpses could not be extracted immediately since there were various small explosions following the incident. Members of the bomb disposal unit then hauled out the bodies from beneath the rubble the chain of explosions subsided, an hour later.
Although the rooms which exploded were located away from the main factory because of the high-risk procedure, there was an imminent danger of a strong explosion that will flatten the storeroom of the fireworks factory, which is full of explosives.
This fireworks factory complex is one of the biggest and possibly best-stocked factories in Malta, preparing fireworks for the feast which is to be held on the last weekend of July.
This is the third time that factory belonging to the San Guzepp Brass Band exploded. A similar explosion seriously injuring two men occurred on the same day six years ago.
Duty Magistrate Antonio Mizzi was informed about the case and appointed architect Richard Aquilina, to assist him in the inquiry.
However, Dr. Mizzi was advised by the AFM's Explosives Ordinance Division not to conduct any on-site inquiry before Wednesday due to the high risk involved.
Photos by people near by.
Photos by gurnalists.
We muorn the dead, pray for the Injured, and pray for all their family members and friends.
