The blast occurred Tuesday, September 29 during maintenance work on the tank and ended up followed by a fire and structural damage within the plant.
The explosion reportedly occurred during the unloading of a truck. Tanks containing methanol ended up affected by the incident.
The explosion occurred shortly after 3 p.m. at the facility in the Punta Quebracho industrial area. Albardon Bio said an external contractor was conducting the work. The company confirmed the incident involved a tank containing methanol.
Sections of Plant Collapsed
The explosion caused sections of the plant to collapse and resulted in a substantial fire. The affected area ended up inspected to see if additional workers were within the area and to assess the condition of the damaged structures.
Emergency workers rushed the four injured workers to hospitals. Two workers were suffering from serious injuries, including one worker who suffered extensive burns and required intensive care.
Smoke billows after an explosion at the Albardon Bio biocombustibles plant in Santa Fe, Argentina.
Source: Telefe Rosario
Albardon Bio said its immediate post-incident measures included containment, prevention and environmental monitoring. The company said information released at the time was preliminary and the cause of the explosion and damage to the installation were under investigation.
Judicial and technical investigations also started to establish the circumstances of the explosion. The investigation had not identified a definitive cause or published a finding on the ignition source as of the latest reports.
Investigators will examine the unloading operation and the conditions surrounding the methanol tanks to determine how the incident developed. They will also assess the safety procedures and controls in place at the facility at the time.
Methanol is a flammable liquid used extensively in industrial processes and is also used in the production of biofuels.
The incident occurred at a facility operated by Establecimiento El Albardon SA, which produces biodiesel and other biocombustible products. Methanol ends up used as a part of the production process.