Thousands evacuated after deadly explosion in Thai industrial park

Bangkok, May 6 (Xinhua-ANI): Thousands of people were evacuated after explosions and fire tear through a factory of an industrial park in east Thailand's Rayong Province Saturday afternoon, killing at least 12 people.

Rayong Governor Senee Jittakasem declared the industrial estate and surrounding area, covering 30 communities, a disaster zone to facilitate emergency operation. People from factories and communities in a three-kilometer radius of the industrial park were evacuated to prevent them from inhaling toxic gases.

At least 12 people were killed. About 24 of 142 injured people remain in hospital, according to hospital reports.

The blaze started at around 3:30 p.m. local time after explosions hit a chemical plant of Bangkok Synthetics Co (BST) in Map Taphut Industrial Estate, according to earlier reports.

Firefighters used foam to douse the blaze. It took more than four hours to get the fire under control. It was put out at about 1 a.m. Sunday. Initial investigations showed the blast occurred when workers were putting toluene, a widely used chemical solvent, into a tank, Senee said.

Exposure to toluene can cause breathing difficulty, dizziness and vomiting. Inhaling too much of it could cause serious damages to health, Deputy Public Health Minister Surawit Khonsomboon said.

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took a helicopter to the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong province Sunday morning. She inspected the factory hit by the explosion and visited injured people at a local hospital.

Industry Minister Pongsvas Svasti said the plant had suspended production for maintenance. He believed an operational error caused the accident.

According to BST's website, the company was established in 1991. The company's products include Butadiene, Butene-1, MTBE and C4 Raffinates, which are major raw materials of downstream petrochemical processes such as the manufacturing of synthetic rubbers and plastic resins. (Xinhua-ANI)