Thirty-five people were injured, four of them seriously, in an explosion that occurred Thursday in a depot of a public oil company in the southern suburbs of Tunis, Civil Protection said.
“Around 6:15 a.m. (local time), a gas leak caused the explosion of gas cylinders (for domestic use) in the premises of a gas exploitation and distribution company in the oil zone in Radès”, Civil Protection spokesperson Moez Triaa told AFP.
The injured, all employees of this company, suffered first and second-degree burns and were hospitalized. Four of them are in intensive care, added Mr. Triaa.
In a press release, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy indicated for its part that “the fire which broke out in a gas depot of the national oil distribution company Agil (… ) in Radès, was brought under control.
An investigation was opened to determine “the circumstances of this incident”, added the ministry without specifying the extent of the damage.
Agil, the largest fuel distribution company in Tunisia, markets petroleum products and derivatives. It has a network of more than 250 service stations throughout the country.
