Eleven held for Toulouse blast
corporate greed | 11.06.2002 20:21
Experts say the blast was a "chemical accident"
French authorities investigating last year's explosion at
a chemical plant in Toulouse have remanded 11 people
in custody.
French authorities investigating last year's explosion at
a chemical plant in Toulouse have remanded 11 people
in custody.
The chemical Industry is killing us all !!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_2038000/2038778.stm
Eleven held for Toulouse blast
Experts say the blast was a "chemical accident"
French authorities investigating last year's explosion at
a chemical plant in Toulouse have remanded 11 people
in custody.
All were employees at the AZF factory or sub-contractors
who worked at the site before the blast on 21
September, which killed 30 people and injured more
than 2,000 others.
Judges leading the manslaughter investigation received
a report earlier this month from experts, who described
the disaster as a "chemical accident" not a deliberate
act.
The plant, located about 3 km (two miles) outside the
south-western city of Toulouse, was levelled by a blast
with the strength of a 3.2 magnitude earthquake.
Terrorism fear
The explosion scattered debris over a wide area and
carved a 50m (164 feet) wide crater into the ground.
It also blew the roofs off some of the nearest houses,
leaving hundreds homeless.
AZF was the biggest fertiliser producer in France.
When it was originally built in the 1920s, the factory was
far from inhabited areas, but this changed as the city
grew.
Coming in the wake of the 11 September attacks on
New York, some feared that the explosion could have
been caused by terrorists.
Local media reports, however, suggested that workers
at the plant may have made a mistake while mixing
chemicals.
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Eleven held for Toulouse blast
Experts say the blast was a "chemical accident"
French authorities investigating last year's explosion at
a chemical plant in Toulouse have remanded 11 people
in custody.
All were employees at the AZF factory or sub-contractors
who worked at the site before the blast on 21
September, which killed 30 people and injured more
than 2,000 others.
Judges leading the manslaughter investigation received
a report earlier this month from experts, who described
the disaster as a "chemical accident" not a deliberate
act.
The plant, located about 3 km (two miles) outside the
south-western city of Toulouse, was levelled by a blast
with the strength of a 3.2 magnitude earthquake.
Terrorism fear
The explosion scattered debris over a wide area and
carved a 50m (164 feet) wide crater into the ground.
It also blew the roofs off some of the nearest houses,
leaving hundreds homeless.
AZF was the biggest fertiliser producer in France.
When it was originally built in the 1920s, the factory was
far from inhabited areas, but this changed as the city
grew.
Coming in the wake of the 11 September attacks on
New York, some feared that the explosion could have
been caused by terrorists.
Local media reports, however, suggested that workers
at the plant may have made a mistake while mixing
chemicals.
corporate greed
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