Two people have died in an explosion at the Elkem Silicones chemical plant in Saint-Fonds, in the Rhône department of France.
The number of victims of the explosion at the Norwegian chemical plant Elkem Silicones, which occurred on December 22 near the city of Lyon in France, has increased to two, AFP reports.
On Friday, the prefecture of the Rhône department, to which Lyon belongs, announced the death of a 55-year-old employee of Elkem Silicones. He was taken to hospital with severe burns.
On Tuesday evening, it became known about the death of a 47-year-old employee. This brings the total number of deaths from the incident to two.
According to preliminary data, the explosion occurred in one of the laboratories of the Elkem Silicones plant, which caused a fire in a building with an area of 600 square meters. The cause of the explosion at the facility has not yet been established.
The Lyon prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into unintentional bodily harm by a legal entity and unintentional murder of a legal entity.
In recent years, the Elkem plant in Saint-Foy has been the subject of official warnings from the Rhône prefecture for violating safety regulations or the storage of dangerous substances.