Hunt goes on for blast survivors.
RESCUERS were searching for survivors yesterday after an explosion at a French chemical plant killed at least 22 people and injured almost 2000.More than 50 of the casualties are in "a very serious condition" after Friday's blast at the AZF plant in Toulouse.
The force of the blast ripped walls and roofs off nearby homes, blew cars off the road and created a 50-metre crater. Much of the plant was reduced to rubble.
"It's as if there were several explosions and then a very big tornado," said Fire Chief Christian Pizzocaro. "The site is extremely dangerous."
The company said the blast was an accident, and French radio reported workers had mixed the wrong chemicals.
"We all thought it was a bomb," said Guy Physsens, a truck driver delivering supplies to the factory when the blast went off. "I dropped flat on my stomach, and when I got up, I saw people who were bleeding all over."
French President Jacques Chirac, who visited the site, said: "The current information leads us to think that it's an accident, although it's probably too early to say that with certitude."
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| Publication: | Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
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| Date: | Sep 23, 2001 |
| Words: | 187 |
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