[UPDATED] Firefighter dead, dozens hurt in Thai factory blast and blaze

BANGKOK – An explosion near the Thai capital’s international airport today left a plastics factory in flames, killing at least one firefighter and wounding 27 people, said officials.

Heavy plumes of black smoke were seen rising up to the sky from the city’s downtown area 35km away, as rescuers continue to evacuate residents near the site.

The blast occurred about 3am at the Taiwan-based Ming Dih Chemical Co plant, located on the outskirts of Bangkok near Suvarnabhumi airport. 

“We have 27 injured, mostly from cuts, and one dead, who was a firefighter,” said Somsak Kaewsena, chief of Bang Pli district, where the factory is located. 

He told AFP that 500 residents have been evacuated to two shelters so far. By noon, elderly residents in wheelchairs were evacuated to a school about 9km away.

The public has been ordered to stay away from a radius of at least 500m around the blast site, said Lt Gen Ampon Buarubporn.

“We do not know if there is anything left to explode,” he said, adding that authorities are still working to get the fire under control. 

Rescue workers drove around the neighbourhood in emergency vans, telling thousands of residents via loudspeakers to leave for their safety. 

The cause of the explosion is still unknown. – AFP, July 5, 2021