Argentina: Explosions devastate the industrial area of ​​Ezeiza, injuring at least 20 people and setting fire to chemical and plastics plants.

Powerful explosions shook the industrial area of ezeiza, south of Buenos Aires, causing a massive fire which affected several factories and forced the authorities to block the main access routes to the area. The accident occurred in Carlos Spegazzini Industrial Park, a few kilometers from Ministro Pistarini International Airport, causing at least 20 injured, mostly residents of the area, hit by the shock wave and debris.

Explosions of “enormous proportions”

The mayor of Ezeiza described the gravity of the incident, Gaston Granados, who spoke of explosions and fires "of enormous proportions." The flames, the mayor explained, involved various factories in the industrial park, among which a chemical plant with deposits of agricultural materials and fertilizers and a plastics factoryBoth sites would have contributed to generating thick black smoke visible for miles.

The authorities have invited the population to stay at home, avoid direct exposure to smoke and use masks in areas where the cloud is still visible. "We are working to ensure the safety of the population and to determine the cause of the explosion, which remains unknown at this time," Granados said.

Injured and hospitals on alert

According to local health sources, most of the injured – approximately twenty people – they are inhabitants of the surrounding area who reported burns, multiple trauma and injuries from shattered glass.shock wave, moreover, it was so violent that it damaged numerous houses up to a kilometer away.

Il Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires confirmed the activation of a coordinated emergency network between provincial and municipal hospitals, ready to welcome anyone in need of treatment. "All medical centers in the area are collaborating to ensure immediate assistance to those affected," the ministry said in a statement.

Airport operational, but flights diverted

Despite the proximity of the fire, Ezeiza International Airport continued to operate regularly. However, several incoming flights were delayed or diverted Due to poor visibility and plumes of smoke rising in the area, one of the main access roads to the airport was temporarily closed to allow emergency vehicles and firefighters to pass.

Rescue intervention and investigations underway

They intervened on site numerous fire brigade teams, also from neighboring districts who worked for hours to put out the flames. According to the firefighters of Tristán Suárez, the fires affected several industrial warehouses, but no victims were recorded. Local authorities have also ruled out the risk of a toxic cloud, a hypothesis initially feared, explaining that the plastic and chemical factories were not completely reached by the fire. The Argentine authorities have opened ainvestigation to ascertain the causes of the Ezeiza explosion, which occurred at a time when the industrial complex was manned only by security personnel. It is assumed that technical failure or an uncontrolled chemical reaction, but no hypothesis is currently excluded.