Unipetrol chemical plant: Explosion in tank kills 6, injures 2

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Thu, Mar 22, 2018, 09:46 PM

Unipetrol chemical plant: Explosion in tank kills 6, injures 2

Prague, March 22: At least six people died in an explosion at a chemical plant near this Czech Republic's capital on Thursday, firefighters said.

The explosion took place in the morning in the town of Kralupy nad Vltavou, 20 km to the north of Prague, at facility belonging to Ceské Rafinerska, a subsidiary of Unipetrol which has formed part of the Polish group PKN Orlen since 2005, officials said.

The blast destroyed a large storage tank at the chemical plant and left two people seriously injured who were taken to a hospital in Prague, the BBC reported.

"This morning there was an explosion without a subsequent fire in one of the tanks in the Kralupské refinery," Unipetrol said in a statement. The company described the explosion as "an extraordinary event at the refinery."

The cause of the explosion, which took place during cleaning operations, had not yet been established, authorities said.