Man, 26, in danger of dying after fireworks explosion
Raphael Vassallo A 26-year-old man from Mosta is fighting for his life at Mater Dei hospital after a fireworks factory exploded in Bidnija yesterday afternoon.
The explosion occurred at 2:30pm and completely gutted one of a number of small rooms used to manufacture fireworks for the feast of Santa Marija in Mosta.
Two other men – aged 39 and 81, both also from Mosta – were also rushed to hospital, but were found to be suffering from minor injuries and were later discharged. Other people in the vicinity are reported to have suffered slight injuries, but did not require medical attention.
Debris from the blast was also scattered over a wide radius, prompting fears that other unexploded petards or squibs may still be present in the surrounding fields. Members of the police and civil protection department had to evacuate the area, and the search for explosive material by the Armed Forces’ bomb disposal unit was still under way until late yesterday evening.
This was the second fireworks factory accident in the space of a month, after another facility, this time in Ghaxaq, similarly blew up on 24 September. No one was injured on that occasion.
Prior to that, in March 2008, three houses in Naxxar were levelled by an explosion caused by the illegal manufacture of fireworks in a private garage. Apart from the unlicensed pyrotechnics enthusiast himself, a young mother of two was also killed in the blast.
Subsequent police investigations led to the discovery of a hidden cache of illegal fireworks in the Peace Band Club, Naxxar.
However, the most serious fireworks-related accident in recent years remains the explosion the St Helen’s factory in Gharghur in December 2007, in which four men lost their lives.
Church reaction Reacting to yesterday’s accident, Church environment commission chairman Prof. Victor Axiak reiterated his call for improved health and safety guidelines, as well as a stricter course for the granting of pyrotechnics licences. “Without entering the merits of this particular case, of which I don’t have any details as yet, there needs to be more awareness of health and safety issues at fireworks factories,” he said. “Unfortunately it is never possible to eliminate accidents by 100%. However, more can be done to lessen the risk.”
Describing the rate of accidents as ‘too high’, Prof. Axiak believes that the course leading to a licence to manufacture pyrotechnics should be made stricter, and pay greater attention to other risks associated with the industry.
“It is crucial that there is an improvement in the level of education of fireworks manufacturers,” he commented. “The media and the public in general tend to focus on fireworks factories only when there is an explosion. However, from a health and safety perspective there are other issues that need to be discussed. Some of the chemicals used in the preparation of fireworks may have harmful effects if accidentally inhaled, or if residue gets caught underneath one’s fingernails.”
Prof. Axiak also indicated that the minimum distance between fireworks factories and residential areas – stipulated by law at 183 metres – should be revised upwards.
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