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Explosions rock chemical plant in S. France, no casualties reported

Xinhua, July 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

A fire broke out on Tuesday, the French national day, at a chemical plant in southern France after two explosions earlier in the morning, local media reported.

It broke out on Tuesday morning at the LyonDellBasell oil refinery in the town of Berre l'Etang after "two tanks, 500 meters apart from each other and filled with chemicals are affected (by the explosions)," the news channel BFMT quoted a source close to the investigation as saying.

"No victim has been reported," it added.

The first blast of a tank contained gasoline was extinguished and the second which had naphtha, a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture, was not yet under control.

A preventive dam was implemented near the plant to prevent hydrocarbon pollution related to fire-fighting water.

The blasts' causes were not immediately identified and an investigation was underway. Endi