A massive explosion at an industrial park adjacent to Argentina's primary international airport has resulted in at least 15 people being hospitalised and caused severe disruption to air travel, with flights being cancelled and delayed.
Scene of Chaos and Destruction
The powerful blast occurred on Friday night beside the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires. Startling video evidence shows an intense initial blaze emitting dense, black smoke into the sky before the area was engulfed by a huge fireball that erupted into a mushroom cloud. The footage captures alarms blaring and individuals fleeing for their safety as the inferno continued to spread uncontrollably.
According to local reports, the initial large explosion took place at around 9pm, which was then followed by a series of smaller blasts. The force was so immense that it reportedly shook buildings and damaged windows and ceilings up to three miles away.
Emergency Response and Ongoing Crisis
Dozens of firefighters were deployed to combat the flames. Gaston Granados, the mayor of Ezeiza, confirmed the scale of the emergency, stating, "The explosions and fire breaking out in different factories are huge. We're trying to control and extinguish it but haven't been able to so far." Local fire chief, Fabian Garcia, described the situation as "a complex fire" that would require a significant amount of time to bring under control.
The cause of the devastating explosion remains unknown. Mayor Granados did confirm that one of the factories involved in the incident handled chemicals, while another was involved in plastics production.
Major Travel Disruption
The explosion's proximity to the airport had an immediate and severe impact on air travel. Operations at Ministro Pistarini International Airport were heavily affected, with numerous flights experiencing significant delays. Some inbound flights were unable to land due to the dangerous conditions and widespread disruption caused by the incident.
