At 17.19 on Thursday afternoon, the police in Agder reported a blasting accident at an industrial area in Mandal.
– It was a planned blast that was carried out, and in connection with the blast, some rock masses went out of the area and hit a commercial building, says operations manager Tom Einar Gausdal to TV 2.
The operations manager estimates that the rocks flew a few hundred meters through the air. The car dealership Mandal Bil is located in the commercial building that was hit.
– I sat in the office and worked with car sales. We had been warned that they were going to blow up, and then it slammed properly. Then a stone came far into the office where I was sitting, says general manager Espen Regevik in Mandal Bil to TV 2.
Damage to 20 cars
Regevik threw himself on the floor when it slammed.
– I do not know exactly why, but it was on reflex. It was a shocking experience, says Regevik.
– Several cars have received dents and scratches. Photo: Mandal Bil
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Fortunately, no people were injured in the incident. But several cars were damaged when the stone about 10 centimeters in diameter flew into the room.
– We have damage to 20 cars, says Regevik.
– What kind of cars have been damaged?
– It is Volvo, Skoda, Nissan, Audi, Porsche … We sell cars in all price ranges, and many have been injured, says Regevik.
This stone flew into the office of general manager Espen Regevik. Photo: Mandal Bil
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Investigating the blast accident
The general manager is most happy that no one was injured.
– These are accidents that can happen when you are blasting. It is a very serious company that does this, so it was an accident that can happen one in a thousand times, says Regevik.
The police have been on the scene, and are opening a case after the incident.
– We will investigate what was the cause of the blast accident and whether anything has been done that is not in accordance with the regulations, says operations manager Gausdal.
Small pieces are strewn around the room. Photo: Mandal Bil
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