At least eight people were killed and a dozen others injured following a silo blast at an agricultural co-operative in southern Brazil. The administration of Parana state in a statement Thursday (July 27) also mentioned that the whereabouts of at least one person were not known.
The blast in the grain silo occurred at C.Vale co-operative in the small town of Palotina, about 600 kilometres (373 miles) away from the state’s capital Curitiba.
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“There was an explosion in one of the silos that triggered a second and a third,” Parana fire brigade spokesman Tiago Zajac was quoted as saying by AFP.
What caused the explosion?
A statement released by C.Vale didn’t mention the cause of the accident but said an investigation was going on to determine what caused the blast.
Rescue workers were still searching for the missing person. A spokesperson for the company said seven of those who died were foreign workers and one was Brazilian.
The company said the silo which blew up stored about 12,000 metric tons of soybeans and 40,000 metric tons of corn.
Jose Ricken, president of Parana’s farm cooperative group OCEPAR, affirmed that this was an isolated accident and no such incident was reported from the area for a “very long time.”
C.Vale confirmed a similar explosion took place in the area back in 1993.
Why do grain silos stand the risk of explosion?
The incident has again highlighted the potential dangers posed by highly combustible grain dust particles, which can lead to fires or explosions in enclosed spaces.
Grain dust particles, originating from various grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and others, have the potential to form layers or become airborne within confined spaces like storage facilities. Among these particles, corn starch stands out as particularly hazardous and volatile.
Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on X, formerly Twitter, that they were deeply saddened. They conveyed their condolences and concerns regarding the incident in the message.
Acting Parana Governor Darci Piana promptly travelled to Palotina, a city of approximately 35,000 people, along with state secretaries. Their primary objective is to oversee the ongoing rescue operations and extend support to the affected families.
(With inputs from agencies)
