Emergency services had to rush to Lerøy Midt’s processing plant at Hestvika, on Hitra, on Thursday, after two people were injured when a formic acid tank exploded.
According to local newspaper Addressa, the condition of one of the men, an employee in his forties, is critical. The condition of the other person, a man around the age of twenty, is not known.
“We do not know what caused the accident. The two men were out working at the tank when it happened. The police have taken over the investigation. We are concentrating on taking care of those who were injured, their relatives and our other employees,” Sven Amund Fjeldvær, general manager of Lerøy Midt told Adressa.
Big bang
Speaking to the local news site, Hitra-Frøya, Fjeldvær added that they heard a loud explosion.
“We quickly got the two injured persons out and performed first aid. Emergency services were quickly on the scene. In the meantime we evacuated the other employees until we clarified the situation, ” he said.
Police investigation
At the moment the situation at Lerøy Midt’s plant is under control. The police have subsequently cordoned off the area while they conduct criminal investigations.
Leroy Midt’s Hitra plant is the company’s largest salmon processing facility in Norway.
