Chemical plant blast kills six, injures five in Slovenia
13 May 2022
An explosion at a chemical plant in southeastern Slovenia killed six people and injured five others on May 12. The incident happened at a plant belonging to chemical producer Melamin in the town of Kocevje.
Representative image: Shutterstock
The incident happened at around 08:30 local time in an area of the plant where raw materials are delivered. The Melamin plant produces chemicals used for the production of paper and rubber. Firefighters arrived at the scene and extinguished a fire while police and army personnel helped secure the area.
The blast is reported to have been contained to the Melamin site itself and did not impact the local area. Slovenia’s environmental agency said that no contamination had occurred.
According to Slovenia’s state news agency, STA, police found the bodies of five people who had initially been missing after the explosion. A sixth person died of their injuries in hospital. Five others were taken to hospital to receive treatment, including one who was in a serious condition.
Melamin’s General Manager Srecko Stefanic told local media that an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the blast, however he said it was most likely a result of human error.
According to STA, the incident is estimated to have caused around €36 million (£30.2m) in damage. Melamin will likely seek support from the European Union to help fund reconstruction of the plant.
More information...