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A30 world news
Diamars 6 Juli 2021

Evacuations ordered after Thai chemical factory explodes

fire retardant onto the fire, 12 people and sickened more miles) from the factory, said
with little apparent success. than 1,000. the loud explosion in the
middle of the night broke her
The Prime Minister’s Of- Authorities were carefully house’s windows, damaged
fice ordered that rain clouds monitoring the air in the area the roof and caused parts of
be seeded if possible in the around the fire, and Pollu- the ceiling to tumble down.
hope that a downpour would tion Control Department She said the windows of ev-
help bring the pollutants out official Thalerngsak Petchsu- ery house on her road were
of the sky, then reversed the wan urged anyone remaining broken as well.
command over concerns it in the vicinity to close their
would lead to toxic chemicals doors and windows to avoid “I was shocked when the
contaminating the city’s riv- inhaling any fumes. explosion took place,” she
ers and canals. “Those who breathe it in told The Associated Press. “I
can get dizzy and vomit and came out and saw a big fire in
Authorities said 62 people it might cause cancer in the the sky.”
had been injured, including long term,” he said.
12 involved in firefighting She said she and her husband
(AP) — A massive explo- out windows of surrounding and rescue efforts, and one Authorities ordered the evac- and mother didn’t evacuate
sion at a chemical fac- homes and sending debris person had been confirmed uation of an area 5 kilometers until 8 a.m.
tory on the outskirts of raining from the air. dead. (3 miles) around the scene.
Bangkok early Monday “I didn’t realize that it would
killed at least one person, The blast could be heard for Styrene monomer, a hazard- Firefighters could be seen be such a dangerous chemical
injured dozens more and kilometers (miles) and sur- ous liquid chemical used in in photos from Thai me- that I have to evacuate,” she
damaged scores of homes, veillance video from a nearby the production of disposable dia climbing through the said. “I am worried because
while prompting the evac- house captured the bright foam plates, cups and other twisted steel wreckage of the the black smoke reached my
uation of a wide area over flash and boom, followed products, can produce poi- complex’s warehouses to get house.”
fears of poisonous fumes by damage to the home and sonous fumes when ignited. their hoses close enough to
and the possibility of ad- the one next door from the Chailit said officials were try- the flames as they fought to There was no immediate
ditional denotations. shockwaves. ing to move all people out of control the blaze. The badly word on what might have
the area, including doctors charred body of the only caused the fire in Bang Phli
Dense clouds of black smoke The main blaze at the Ming and patients from the neigh- known fatality — identified district, and the company was
continued to billow from the Dih Chemical factory had borhood’s main hospital by officials as an 18-year-old not reachable by phone.
site late in the day. Winds been brought under con- where many of the casualties volunteer firefighter — lay
shifted and started blowing trol by mid-morning, but an were initially treated, over face down among the wreck- The initial explosion shook
toward the city’s center, and enormous tank containing fear of the fumes and the pos- age, his head resting on his the terminal building at Su-
evacuation centers were set the chemical styrene mono- sibility of more explosions. right forearm. varnabhumi, Bangkok’s main
up in a school and a govern- mer continued to burn, said international airport, setting
ment office for those forced local disaster prevention offi- The chemical itself also emits The area around the factory off alarms.
from their homes. cial Chailit Suwannakitpong. styrene gas, a neurotoxin, is a mixture of older indus-
Officials said many tons which can immobilize peo- trial complexes and newer Airport officials said no
The fire broke out at around of styrene monomer were ple within minutes of inhala- housing developments that flights had been canceled
3 a.m. at a foam and plastic stored on the site. tion and can be fatal at high were built after the opening but they were continuing to
pellet manufacturing fac- concentrations. Last year in of the airport in 2006. monitor the situation and
tory just outside Bangkok Helicopters tried to navigate the Indian city of Visakhapat- were prepared to “put in
near Suvarnabhumi Airport, close enough through the nam, a leak of styrene gas Jaruwan Chamsopa, who place contingency plans in
with the explosion blowing thick black smoke to dump from a chemical factory killed lives about 3 kilometers (1.8 case of emergency.”

Mastermind in 2016 killing of Honduran activist convicted

(AP) — A Honduran man on for Cáceres’ murder. Four project, which was to be built mains frozen. in La Esperanza on March 3,
was convicted of homicide men were sentenced to 34 on the Galcarque River. The 2016. A Mexican activist who
Monday in the 2016 killing years for the murder and 16 river holds spiritual impor- Cáceres won the prestigious was there with her also was
of Berta Cáceres, a prize- years for attempted murder. tance for the Lenca people as Goldman Prize for her envi- shot, but survived.
winning environmental Three others received sen- well as being a critical source ronmental activism in 2015.
and Indigenous rights de- tences of 30 years for their of water. The dam project re- She was slain at her home
fender. roles.
After a three-month trial, the At the time, prosecutors said
court unanimously found the killers acted on behalf of
Roberto David Castillo Mejía a company, Desa, that was
guilty of participating in the building a dam being op-
killing of Cáceres, a mem- posed by the activist. Castillo
ber of the Lenca Indigenous Mejía, who heads the project,
group who led opposition to was arrested in 2018.
a dam project in which Cas-
tillo Mejía was involved. Castillo Mejía allegedly paid
the hitmen, gave logistical
The court will convene on support and provided re-
Aug. 2 to determine a sen- sources to those already con-
tence, which could be be- victed, according to prosecu-
tween 24 and 30 years. Cas- tors.
tillo Mejía, who prosecutors
say masterminded the killing, Cáceres was a co-founder
will remain jailed at an army of the National Council of
base until sentencing. Popular and Indigenous Or-
ganizations of Honduras.
In December 2019, seven She helped organize opposi-
men were sentenced to pris- tion to the Agua Zarca dam