Disasters & Accidents

Anxious wait for families of workers injured in explosion at Paraguay factory

San Lorenzo, Paraguay, Feb 8 (EFE).- Sadness, helplessness and some hope on Thursday united the families of the workers affected by the explosion of an ammonia tank inside a sausage factory in the Paraguayan city of San Lorenzo, about 15 kilometers from Asunción.

At the Ochsi factory, one worker was killed and 41 others were injured in Wednesday’s explosion. A day later, the majority of those affected remained at the Ingavi Surgical Specialties Hospital in the town of Fernando de la Mora.

Of these, according to a report released Thursday, 17 patients were in the process of being discharged, nine were in the intensive care unit in critical condition and three were under observation in a delicate condition.

However, outside the hospital, the anguish did not let up.

“He is fighting for his life,” Laureana Ponce told EFE about her husband, Nelson Vera, 41, who suffered burns to 80 percent of his body.

Vera, a driver who delivers Ochsi products, had finished his work day when the incident happened.

“He was just changing to go home,” the wife said. Her three children are still waiting for him.

Along with Laureana, in the middle of a summer of temperatures exceeding 37 degrees Celsius, the family of Cristian Villalba, 29, was looking for some consolation.

Sitting in a circle drinking ‘tereré’ – a traditional Paraguayan iced tea – they waited for news.

“By bad luck and randomly, my son went to the nearby toilets,” lamented Justo Villalba, Cristian’s father.

Villalba, who heard the explosion but did not imagine its severity, told EFE that his son worked weighing products in a different section from where the explosion occurred.

The young man remains intubated and sedated as a result of ammonia inhalation poisoning that affects the lungs.

“It doesn’t get better or worse,” he said.

His father, a little over 50 years old, was counting the hours until an update on his son’s condition. He calms the uncertainty with sips of tereré and other times he can’t stop the tears.

The story was different for the relatives of 24-year-old Gustavo Notario. The young man could not be revived after suffering three cardiac arrests.

“What am I going to say to my six-year-old daughter who was left without her father because of the irresponsibility of that company?” asked Laura Amarilla, Notario’s partner.

For his part, Ochsi representative Johannes van der Low said at the hospital that the company will help in the medical, financial and psychological areas.

In the midst of the anguish, the surroundings of the factory were desolate and cordoned off.

From the scene of the accident, amid a persistent but slight smell of ammonia, prosecutor Gerardo Mosqueira told journalists that it has yet to be determined whether the tank exploded due to tampering or due to failure.

“It is the first time in 70 years that this event has happened,” said Mosqueira, regarding what was discussed with those in charge of the firm.

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