Blast in Toulouse plant kills 15

By Vaiju Naravane

PARIS, SEPT. 21. About 15 persons were feared dead and over 200 were injured, 80 of them seriously when a blast ripped through a factory producing rocket fuel in the south western city of Toulouse at 10.15 a.m. today.

The blast was probably accidental, but police have yet to confirm what caused it. The region's prefect said investigation as to the causes of the explosion were continuing. The factory AZF petrochemicals which manufactures fuel for the European Ariane rocket looked as if it had been bombed from the air. A nearby retail store selling domestic appliances was also completely destroyed.

Fear psychosis gripped the city as the force of the blast shattered window panes in the centre of the historic city of Toulouse, home to Airbus Industries, the makers of European Airbus aircraft. The AZF petrochemical plant is located some three kilometers outside Toulouse city limits.

``I was in the metro when it came to a grinding halt. People thought a bomb had gone off in the metro. Many people were carrying masks in their bags and several of them said they had heard the blast in the underground rail tunnel,'' Ms. Sandra Koppel, a Toulouse journalist told The Hindu. ``An airplane had just overflown the city of Toulouse when the blast was heard and people were convinced a bomb had been thrown from the air. Everyone here is nervous, the telephone lines are jammed and people are hurrying back home to make sure their loved ones are safe. The city centre has been closed to traffic and shops have closed for the day,'' she said.

The French Prime Minister, Mr. Lionel Jospin rushed to Toulouse where he described the blast as ``a terrible accident.'' People were asked to stay indoors as a huge cloud of toxic ammonia hovered over the city. Anhydrous ammonia is extremely toxic and can irritate the eyes and skin.

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