Chemical warehouse explosion in Spain prompts lockdown measures
A powerful explosion at a chemical warehouse in Alcalá de Guadaíra forced 77,000 residents to stay indoors. The smoke cloud was visible from a distance of approximately 80 kilometres.
What do you need to know?
- Where and when did the explosion occur? On Wednesday in the city of Alcalá de Guadaíra, province of Seville, a powerful explosion occurred in a chemical warehouse.
- What were the recommendations for residents? Local authorities instructed 77,000 people to stay indoors and securely close windows due to the risk of poisoning.
- What substances were stored? The warehouse contained about 200,000 litres of corrosive and flammable substances, which can become toxic when burned.
What caused the explosion?
The incident occurred in an industrial zone where approximately 200,000 litres of chemical substances were stored. According to the newspaper El Mundo, smoke rising from the site of the explosion was visible even from a distance of about 80 kilometres, including from Seville, which is roughly 15 kilometres away.
What were the consequences of the explosion?
The fire department warned that although the stored substances are not particularly dangerous in themselves, their burning can lead to the formation of toxic compounds. Among the chemicals are corrosive and flammable products.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined yet.
This is another event of this kind in Spain in recent days. On Saturday, May 10, a fire broke out in a warehouse with 70 tonnes of chlorine in Catalonia. At that time, authorities called for about 150,000 residents of the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona to stay indoors.
