MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ammoniac explosion leaves 67 injured in Montevideo

The explosion early Monday of an ammoniac tank in a Korean jigger moored in Montevideo left 67 people hospitalized of which five in pharmacological comma, 19 in intensive care units and the rest with different degrees of intoxication.

The worst accident of this kind in Montevideo's port also liberated a cloud of ammoniac gas that spread in a radius of a square kilometer covering other moored fishing vessels and a vast adjoining area outside the terminal's perimeter.

The Uruguayan Fire Department and Montevideo port naval authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion of the 1,000 litres tank in the "Sung Kyung 201" which arrived in Montevideo at the end of April.

A team of firemen that had been called earlier to rescue an injured crew member who had fallen into the haul of a ship were the first to arrive at the scene of the explosion and also suffered the consequences of ammoniac intoxication.

Minutes later, when the main force of firefighters arrived equipped with masks and oxygen tanks they began rescuing the injured crewmembers and helping others that were isolated in the remaining fishing vessels berthed side by side next to the "Sung Kyung 201".

"It was a very big explosion, almost at two in the morning followed by the formation of a huge toxic cloud", said Ricardo Levy spokesman for the Uruguayan Fire Department.

"The most logic hypothesis is that there was some problem with the tank's valves, but we'll have to wait for the investigation", added Mr. Levy who revealed that ammoniac leaks are common in refrigerating systems "but certainly not of this magnitude".

All sea traffic in the port area was interrupted until mid morning fearing that because of the explosion some crewmembers could have ended in the water. There was also a warning for people to keep away from the area.

The rescue teams used oxygen to help speed the dissipation of the toxic cloud.

Ammoniac gas is particularly dangerous for the skin, eyes and respiratory system causing blindness and death by intoxication since it can produce irreparable damage to the lungs.