6 hurt in Malabon paper mill blast

Six people were hurt when an explosion ripped through a five-storey paper mill factory in Malabon City early Saturday morning. Senior Superintendent Roberto Villanueva, Malabon police chief, said the blast happened inside the Globe Paper Mills along Governor Pascual Ave. in Barangay Potrero at about 2:30 a.m. Initial investigation showed the explosion happened at the section of the factory that housed carbon dioxide and nitrogen materials. The six victims, who sustained superficial injuries, are receiving treatment at the Manila Central University in Caloocan City and the Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Center in Quezon City. Engineer Carlos Yu, who is also the firm's owner, had assured financial assistance to the victims. Villanueva said the explosion was so strong, a tank was "flattened and flew all the way to another building 100 meters away." The police official however assured residents living nearby that the explosion would not pose any danger to them. "Wala kaming nakikitang threat dito dahil maliban sa amoy sa loob ng pabrika, wala namang activities sa loob at ang kapitbahayan ay about 100 meters away sa lugar," he said in an interview with QTV's Balitanghali. (We don’t see any threat here because, aside from the stench inside the factory, there is no activity inside and the neighborhood is about 100 meters away from the site.) Local city health officials are already inspecting the explosion site to check if the "ammonia-like smell" inside the buidling would pose any hazard in the vicinity. A radio report said the factory has not been fully operational since tropical storm Ondoy rampaged through Metro Manila, including Malabon, in September last year. The damage sustained by the factory due to Ondoy had since forced workers to report for work only three days a week.—JV, GMANews.TV