At least 20 injured in Slovenian chemical plant blast

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - An explosion at a chemical production factory in southern Slovenia injured at least 20 people on Thursday, according to local media.

Two people suffered severe burns and two others are missing, with authorities urging locals to stay indoors, reported the Slovenian Press Agency.

About 200 staff were employed at the facility located near the city of Kocevje, a town of roughly 8,000 people about 55 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the capital Ljubljana.

Residents in the surrounding area said the explosion occurred around 8.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) and shook the entire area.

Regional broadcaster N1 television said a local emergency council met for an urgent session as firefighters and emergency crews rushed to the plant.

"We advise all residents in the surrounding area to close their windows and not to go out in the open during the intervention. They also should not go near the scene," the news outlet N1 quoted local police as saying.

The Slovenian Press Agency described the explosion at the plant, which produces the industrial chemical melamine, as the worst industrial fire in the country's recent history.