Four die in blast at water plant
FOUR people were killed and another injured after a large explosion at a waste water treatment works.
They were working on top of a silo tank when it was torn apart by the blast that shook nearby buildings.
Three of those who died were employees of Wessex Water’s recycling centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol, and the other was a contractor working at the site.
Emergency services were called out at 11.20am yesterday with firefighters describing the distressing scene as “very challenging” for personnel.
Shaking
Kieran Jenkins, who works in a warehouse close to the site, said he feared for his life.
He said: “I heard a big bang and everything was vibrating.
“Me and my colleague were stood there in shock. The whole warehouse was shaking. We thought everything was going to fall and we came out and all we could see was people running.”
Another witness, Jawad Burhan, said: “I heard a very loud collision, what I thought may have been two trucks colliding. It shook the ground.
“There was a two or three second boom and echo and then it just went quiet. There was no smoke.”
Lorry driver Ronan Doyle said he was about to enter the recycling plant when he heard the explosion.
He added: “There was a quieter ‘ whoosh’ first, followed by a much louder and more intense noise.
“It sounded like someone had driven into the lorry – the noise was so loud it didn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard before and it was followed by a loud bang.”
Chief Inspector Mark
Runacres confirmed the explosion was not being treated as terror- related.
He added: “The explosion happened in a silo that holds treated biosolids before it is recycled to land as an organic soil conditioner.
“A thorough investigation will be carried out into what happened involving a number of agencies and the Health and Safety Executive in due course, and we will not be
speculating on the cause of the explosion while such work is being undertaken.”
Wessex Water chief executive Colin Skellett said: “We are absolutely devastated that the tragic incident at our site has resulted in four fatalities.
“Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those involved.”
He said the firm was working with health and safety investigators “to understand what happened and why”. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “our hearts go out” to the victims of the tragedy and their families.
“Deeply saddened to learn that four people have lost their lives in the water works explosion in Avonmouth,” he said on Twitter. “Thank you to the emergency services who attended the scene.”
It is understood the injured person was not badly hurt.