Paris, July 16: Two people have been killed and six more injured in an explosion in a Total plant in eastern France, while several others remain buried under the rubble.
The blast took place on Wednesday when a steam-cracking furnace blew up at a petrochemicals plant in Carling near the German border, AFP reported.
The explosion damaged equipment but did not cause a fire, Total’s local officials said, adding that several people were believed to be still buried in the debris.
“The accident happened during operations to restart a steam cracker following a stoppage linked to recent bad weather,” Total said in a statement. “During these operations, a stream production unit exploded for an unknown reason.”
Steam crackers are machines that convert oil distillates into basic petrochemicals by mixing petroleum and either gas oil or naphtha in an oven with superheated steam at 800 degrees Celsius (1,470 Fahrenheit).
The statement added that the incident did not pose any risk of pollution at the plant.
In 2001, 31 people died and 30,000 homes were destroyed in an explosion at a warehouse at the AZF chemical fertilizer plant owned by a Total subsidiary near the city of Toulouse in southwestern France.
—–Agencies