Explosion at Rotterdam port kills at least one person, injures several

An explosion at the port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Thursday morning killed at least one person and injured several others, according to Rotterdam city police. Authorities established a crime scene at the site to determine what caused the blast.

According to the Associated Press, the explosion occurred at a refinery and fuel terminal operated by Gunvor Energy in an industrial section of the port. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, according to the AP, that a maintenance team had been working on a section of pipes at the site at the time.

Rotterdam emergency services reported a major power failure at the port and said a transformer had caught fire under unexplained circumstances, according to the AP. Several companies halted operations and evacuated workers as a result. Power was gradually being restored to businesses in the industrial area a few hours after the incident. It was not immediately clear, the AP noted, whether the blackout and the explosion were connected.

A number of oil and gas companies are based in the affected industrial area, and fire crews were reported to be standing by, according to the AP.

A Shell spokesperson stated that the blast 'has not impacted Shell's operations,' according to the Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post also described the event as a developing story, with the cause still unclear and under investigation.

Where sources differ

• The Jerusalem Post does not identify the specific location of the explosion beyond 'Rotterdam port' and refers to a 'tank terminal,' while the AP identifies the site as the Gunvor Energy refinery and fuel terminal.

• Gunvor Energy has not been quoted or reported as having commented on the explosion in any of the supplied sources.
• The precise cause of the explosion has not been established.
• The identities of the fatality and the injured individuals are not provided.
• The exact number of injured persons is not specified beyond 'several.'
• Whether the power failure and the explosion are linked has not been determined.
• The status of the maintenance team reportedly working on pipes at the time of the blast is not confirmed.
• The full extent of operational disruption across the port has not been established.

1. The Jerusalem Post — original — by REUTERS
2. Associated Press

Read the original at The Jerusalem Post

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