An explosion at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday killed at least one person and injured several others, city police said.
Police said the blast at Europe’s biggest port happened late Thursday morning and that a crime scene has been set up to try to establish what caused it.
The explosion happened at a refinery and fuel terminal run by Gunvor Energy in an industrial section of the vast port premises. Dutch broadcaster NOS said that a maintenance team had been working on a section of pipes there.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred this morning at Gunvor Energy in the Port of Rotterdam. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the deceased victim and with those who were injured,” the Port of Rotterdam Authority said.
Rotterdam emergency services reported a major power failure at the port and said that a transformer had caught fire under unexplained circumstances. Several companies halted their operations and evacuated workers.
Power was gradually being restored to companies in an industrial area of the port a few hours later. A number of oil and gas companies are based there, and fire crews were standing by.
The port authority said that “based on the information currently available, the power outage in the Botlek area and the incident at Gunvor Energy appear to be unrelated.”
