Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova, Azernews Staff Writer

Three people were killed and ten others injured after three explosions rocked a chemicals plant in Sumgayit, some 30 kilometers north of the Azerbaijani capital Baku, on Monday, sparking a fire, according to the Ministry of Health.

The fire was extinguished, the Ministry of Emergency Situations told the local press on Tuesday.

A preliminary scrutiny revealed that the cause of the blast in the fuel tanks of a privately-owned detergent plant was fire safety and labor protection violations during the welding of a fuel tank.

The three people killed were conducting welding work, said Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Etibar Mirzayev.

All those injured are rescue officers who had arrived at the scene.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Prosecutor General's Office, the fire occurred in six fuel tanks at the detergent plant Domestic Appliances LLC and spread to the surroundings.

The first explosion occurred at a woodworking shop, while the second one -- in two nearby oil tanks, and the third explosion occurred after some time, Trend news agency reported.

Nizameddin Guliyev, Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR's spokesman, told Trend that the plant hit by the explosion is not subordinated to SOCAR and is privately owned.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Sumgayit prosecutor's office employees as well as equipment, machinery and helicopters of the ministry immediately arrived at the site and took urgent measures to prevent spreading of the fire and to provide first aid to the injured people.

The Sumgayit prosecutor's office has launched a criminal case on the articles of labor protection violation and fire safety violation of the Criminal Code.