Two people lost their lives and one has sustained critical injury, following an explosion, Wednesday afternoon, at an industrial cistern in the Italian port of Livorno, one of country’s biggest passenger and commercial ports.
The two men had been doing maintenance on the storage tank when the blast occurred, at approximately 2.00 pm, the port authority informed. They were reportedly employees of Labromare, a land reclamation company.
The first man was killed immediately as a result from the incident, while the other one died shortly afterwards, despite rescue efforts.
The tank was said to contain ethyl acetate, a highly flammable substance. Initial estimations suggest the explosion has been caused by a build-up of gas in the cistern, according to local media.
The area was evacuated and two fire units were dispatched on the scene. Commercial and passenger operations in Livorno were not likely to be affected.
