Explosion at biodiesel plant in Spain kills at least 2 people

Service factory explosion occurred at about 12:55 on May 26 (local time).

Factory biodiesel and the entire El Recuenco industrial area in Calahorra was evacuated immediately after the explosion, according to El Dia de La Rioja newspaper and the media. A security perimeter was set up about 1 km from the scene of the accident.

About 250 students from the city of Zaragoza who were on a day trip to visit the nearby Tierra Rapaz nature park were among those evacuated.

Videos taken at the scene of the explosion shared on social media showed a thick cloud of black smoke and flames following the explosion, which occurred around 1pm.

Fire department members from Calahorra and Logrono were at the scene along with local police and civil protection forces. Firefighters were on the scene to contain the blaze after the explosion spread to other containers at the scene.

Dense black smoke rises at the site of the explosion. (Photo: Yahoo News)

Calahorra local council said all existing fire and police units had been sent to the factory to fight the fire and make sure everyone was safe. Local authorities urged people to stay away from the area in case of further explosions.

At the time of the explosion, a group of Spanish civil protection police specializing in the use of explosives was exercising in the area, helping emergency services reach the scene extremely quickly, the Spanish daily newspaper reported. Nha El Pais reported.

The two dead are believed to be workers of a company other than the biodiesel plant, aged 30 and 41. No injuries have been reported.

The incendiary explosion was brought under control for about 90 minutes.

It is not clear what caused the explosion in Calahorra, about 300 km northeast of the Spanish capital Madrid.

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