Blasts, Fire at Soviet Chemical Plant Injures 25
A series of explosions and a fire at a chemical plant in central Russia on Thursday injured 25 people and forced the evacuation of a nearby village, Tass, the Soviet news agency, reported.
The accident, in the Bashkir capital of Ufa, began when a new phenol-acetone factory blew up as it was being readied for production, Tass said.
The fire continued through the day and may have spread to other facilities producing hydrocarbons, Tass reported. Most of those injured suffered severe burns, and two were in serious condition.
The phenol-acetone spilled into at least two rivers, including the source of drinking water for the city of 1 million people, Tass said. Drinking water was later transported into the city.
A village about nine miles away was evacuated because the wind blew toxic smoke from the fire in its direction, Bashkir Health Minister Aldzhet Turyanov said.
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