Four people have died following an explosion at a waste treatment works near Bristol, police have said.
Three employees and one contractor at a water recycling centre run by Wessex Water were said to have been standing on top of a chemical tank when an explosion ripped through it at around 11.20am.
Chief Inspector Mark Runacres of Avon and Somerset Police said in a press conference that one other person had been injured in the blast, but they were not in a life-threatening condition.
The chemical tank was said to be holding “treated biosolids before it is recycled to land as an organic soil conditioner”.
He sought to play down concerns that the explosion of the chemical tank could pose an ongoing threat to public safety, saying: “I can reassure people in the nearby area there is not believed to be any ongoing public safety concerns following today’s events.
“We do, however, urge members of the public to avoid the area if possible, whilst this emergency operation is ongoing.”
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