2 injured in explosion at Tata Steel plant in UK

Press Trust of India  |  London 

Two people suffered minor injuries in a pre-dawn explosion at a plant in in Wales, the UK's largest steelworks, police said Friday.

The blast at occurred around 0335 GMT with emergency fire crews rushing to battle the blaze.

South Police confirmed that all workers had been accounted for after an explosion from a train carrying into the works caused "small fires".

"Emergency services remain on scene but we have had confirmation that all members of staff are accounted for and there are only two casualties with minor injuries," South Police said in a statement.

"Early indications are that the seat of the explosion was a train which carries into the works. The explosion caused some small fires which are all under control and damage to some buildings on the site," the statement noted.

The police said that the local has confirmed that there is no need for concerns regarding any "hazardous effects" of the smoke from the fire and that the nearby remains open.

confirmed that the fire had been caused by a train carrying and that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

"We can confirm two of our employees were slightly injured when there was a spillage of liquid iron while it was travelling to the plant, according to a company statement on

"All fires have now been extinguished. A full investigation has begun," it adds.

The steel firm said the site had reopened by 0700 GMT and that it was assessing any "potential damage".

People living in the area near the steelworks reported that their houses shook with the force of a blast at the site in the early hours of Friday.

Sharon Freeguard, a local councillor, said: "I thought I heard about two to three explosions. It was extremely frightening and very, very scary.

"The house just shook, so it was quite alarming. Once it was over, I did wonder what it was and just did think about the works. We're just all relieved that there are no fatalities."

Images on show large flames at the site and plumes of smoke.

"This incident raises real concerns about safety at the works. It could have been a lot worse. Grateful as always to the emergency services for their rapid and effective response. must conduct a full review, to improve safety," said

India's multinational Tata Steel is one of Europe's leading steel producers, with steelmaking in the and the UK, and across

The company supplies high-quality to the most demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.

produces high-quality steel which is processed at Tata Steels around the UK for manufacturers in Britain, mainland and other countries around the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, April 26 2019. 13:00 IST