Five tons of liquid propane leak occurred during transferring from a tank car to a propane sphere.

The leak was caused by a malfunctioning rupture unit on a loading arm in which only 2 of the 3 rupture blades ruptured. The 3rd blade bent, preventing the valves from operating normally. A gaseous cloud measuring 30 m in diameter formed, preventing all human intervention. After 8 minutes, the foreman entered the cloud without protection and pulled the turnbuckle’s chain to stop the flow.

Three detectors detected the presence of gas. The accident had no visible incidence on the environment.

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