Mitsubishi chemical factory blast kills five in Yokkaichi, south-central Japan
Maintenance workers are caught in blast at Mitsubishi plant that left another 12 injured
A blast at a Japanese chemical factory killed at least five and left a dozen injured yesterday.
The explosion happened in the early afternoon at the plant in Yokkaichi, when maintenance crews were working on a heat exchanger used in the production of silicon products, a plant spokesman said.
"Five people are dead and 12 have been injured, of whom nine sustained only minor injuries," said a police spokeswoman.
The plant in the south-central city, run by Mitsubishi Materials, makes parts for solar panels and cars, using polymers made from silicon, hydrogen and chlorine.
Television footage showed about a dozen firefighters setting out stretchers for victims at the site, where a pipe appeared to have fallen to the ground and other machinery parts were scattered nearby.
"I heard a boom and saw smoke rising from the plant," a 56-year-old worker at a nearby plant said. "I don't remember there ever being such a serious accident in Yokkaichi before."