A chemical plant that had stopped its production for the weekend released a toxic cloud containing 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin into the atmosphere : 6½ hours earlier, at the end of the shift, the production cycle of 1,2,4,5-trichlorophenol had been stopped while only[...]
An explosion occurred on a Monday morning upon resuming activity in an LPG warehouse featuring a filling station. According to the facility layout, the electrical installation was located in the maintenance workshop, which also contained air compressors, at a distance[...]
Inside a powder factory, 2 series of explosions occurred at a 75-second interval around 1:15 pm, killing 3 and injuring 81 (60 employees, 20 nearby residents), 2 of whom in critical condition. When the forklift operator for Building 211 (intermediate[...]
A flash followed by a fire and explosion occurred at an LPG filling station. The building depot was divided into several zones: a carrousel for filling 13-kg propane bottles, a 35-kg bottle-filling zone, a testing zone, a palletizing platform, and[...]
A cyclohexane cloud violently exploded at a caprolactam plant; 28 employees were killed, and a total of 89 individuals were seriously hurt, 53 of them among the general public. Property loss was considerable: buildings destroyed within a 600-m radius, 1,820[...]
The powder drying building at a gunpowder factory exploded at 8:35 am, killing the 2 employees working inside on the spot. The blast of the explosion also caused collapse of the building located opposite that had been used to cut[...]
In a farm courtyard on the outskirts of a village, a liquid ammonia (NH3) hose broke during the transfer of a fixed tank (7.2 m³) to a mobile cistern (3.7 m³). Since the outdoor temperature was 24°C, the pressure level[...]
This refinery, which first began operating in 1964, was processing 1.7 million tonnes of crude oil a year. Its LPG storage zone contained 12,850 m³ (theoretical capacity: 13,100 m³) of pressurised hydrocarbons in 10 propane or butane spherical tanks, placed[...]
In a PVC plant, an MVC leak ignited causing a (UVCE-type) explosion. The plant comprised 2 production buildings, one housing a boiler room and maintenance workshop, the other the laboratory, offices and warehouse, along with a series of MVC tanks[...]
At 10:39 pm, the landslide of a portion of Mount Toc sent 260 million m3 of earth and rock hurtling at more than 90 km/h into the full reservoir adjoining the Vajont Dam. The falling rock nearly instantaneously filled the[...]
