Joshua Parfitt
A WORKER who went missing after a massive explosion at a petrochemical plant in Spain’s Tarragona has been found dead this morning.
The blast at 6.41pm yesterday injured eight of 25 workers on duty at the factory in La Canonja – while a neighbour residing in a 5-storey apartment block some 2km away was killed at home due to shockwaves.
The missing’s worker’s body sees the death toll rise to two, while one worker is still in a critical condition at Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron hospital.
Police have cut access to the factory while a team specialising in collapsed buildings are conducting searches alongside a canine unit.
The authorities previously gave up the search at 2am this morning due to security issues.
The factory, named Industrias Químicas del Oxido de Etileno (IQOXE), is the only producer of ethylene oxide in Spain, producing 140,000 tonnes annually.
Half of its ethylene oxide goes to the production of ethylene glycol, a main component in the fabrication of polyester clothing fabrics and PET containers and goods.
