The hospital where the injured were treated is one of the buildings that have been evacuated. People up to 5 kilometers in the area have been called to leave their homes.
Paralysis
The factory makes foam products, such as disposable plates and cups, and plastic pellets. The fire brigade deployed dozens of vehicles and fire fighting helicopters for hard-to-reach parts of the factory complex.
The fire is under control, but a large tank containing the chemical styrene is still burning. This releases poisonous styrene gas, which can lead to paralysis if inhaled and can be fatal in high concentrations.
The factory is located not far from Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, also known as New Bangkok International Airport. There the alarm went off due to the shock of the explosion. No flights have been canceled so far, but the airport is closely monitoring the situation and safety of travelers and staff.
New residential areas are located around the airport, which opened in 2006. There are also older industrial complexes in the area.
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