The neighborhood around the metal processing company Umicore in Olen was shocked by an explosion on Wednesday evening around 10 p.m. A car had driven through the gate of the industrial estate and collided with some gas bottles standing in front of a hydrogen tank. This was accompanied by a loud bang and a large flash of flame.
No danger to the neighborhood
The fire brigade arrived en masse. Originally, local residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed to avoid possible chemical hazards. But it soon turned out that that was not the case. The fire brigade quickly brought the fire under control, but remained on site for a while to cool the other tanks.
The driver of the car was seriously injured and taken to hospital under police escort. It concerns a 49-year-old woman from Olen.
