The explosion at “Azovstal” Mariupol metallurgic industrial complex in the evening of March 23 was caused by a gas mixture, which appeared in a blast furnace after it was halted for repairs.
According to the Donetsk territorial directorate of the State Department for Industrial Security, the #3 blast furnace was prepared for halting and repairs during 23 March. In the course of technological works, a gas mixture exploded in the blast furnace.
In its turn, the explosion threw the metal constructions of the blast furnace on the gas pipeline, the gas ignited and the fire broke out.
Four people suffered from the accident, including three employees of “Azovstal” and an employee of “Inkorporatsia” Ltd. Three of the victims suffer from poisoning, the fourth suffers from fractures of his hands and legs. The victims are in the Mariupol city hospital.
