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Austria gas plant burns after deadly explosion | Austria gas plant burns after deadly explosion |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A big explosion has rocked a natural gas hub in eastern Austria, killing one person and injuring at least 18, police say. | |
A fire followed the blast which happened around 08:45 (07:45 GMT) at the Baumgarten site, just east of the capital Vienna, near the Slovak border. | |
On Twitter, Austrian police said the situation was under control and a technical fault had caused the blast. | |
The flow of Russian gas has dropped, triggering price hikes in Europe. | |
Baumgarten is a major hub for imported gas Russian gas, which is sent on to a number of European countries. The facility receives about 40bn cubic metres of gas per year. | |
Italy's Minister for Economic Development, Carlo Calenda, said he would declare a state of emergency for energy supplies. | |
"The installation has been brought under control and operations have been suspended there," said Armin Teichert, spokesman for the operator, Austria's Gas Connect service. | "The installation has been brought under control and operations have been suspended there," said Armin Teichert, spokesman for the operator, Austria's Gas Connect service. |
Police have cordoned off the area. Some victims suffering burns have been airlifted out by helicopter, Austrian ORF news reports. | Police have cordoned off the area. Some victims suffering burns have been airlifted out by helicopter, Austrian ORF news reports. |
One unconfirmed report spoke of 60 hurt. | |
"I heard a huge explosion and thought at first it was a plane crash," photographer Thomas Hulik, who lives in a nearby village in Slovakia, told AFP news agency. "Then I saw an immense ball of flame." | |
Gas Connect said the incident should have no effect on gas deliveries to Austria but those to Italy and Croatia might be reduced. | Gas Connect said the incident should have no effect on gas deliveries to Austria but those to Italy and Croatia might be reduced. |
Meanwhile, Russia's Gazprom Export said it was working to redirect gas flows. | Meanwhile, Russia's Gazprom Export said it was working to redirect gas flows. |
It said it was "doing everything possible to secure uninterrupted gas supplies" to customers in the region. | It said it was "doing everything possible to secure uninterrupted gas supplies" to customers in the region. |
Spot prices rose sharply across Europe after the incident. |