CHRONOLOGY - Industrial Accidents in Western Europe
Date: 13-Dec-05
Country: WORLD
On Friday, a blast at a leaking gas pipeline in Belgium killed 15 people and injured scores more in the country's biggest industrial disaster in years.
Here is a chronology of some other recent major industrial accidents in Western Europe:
May 13, 2000 - NETHERLANDS - An explosion at S.E. Fireworks in Enschede kills 20 people and injures about 1,000 as a fireball rips through the town, levelling more than 400 homes.
Aug 9, 2001 - UK - Three people die after an explosion at one of Europe's largest gas-fired power stations at Teesside, northern England. The 1,875 megawatt plant was operated by US energy group Enron.
Sept 21, 2001 - FRANCE - An explosion at a fertiliser factory in Toulouse run by AZF, a division of TotalFinaElf, kills 30 and injures 2,000 in surrounding areas.
Oct 22, 2002 - BELGIUM - At least two people die and 26 are injured when an explosion rocks a coke plant run by steelmaker Arcelor near the eastern town of Liege.
May 11, 2004 - UK - Nine people die in an explosion which flattens a plastics factory in the Scottish city of Glasgow. More than 40 are injured. ICL Plastics and Stockline Plastics were in charge of the factory.
July 30, 2004 - BELGIUM - At least 15 people are killed and more than 100 injured when an explosion rips through the underground pipeline in the industrial zone of Ghislenghien, 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Brussels.
Dec 11, 2005 - UK - Huge fire breaks out after a wave of explosions rips through a fuel depot at Hemel Hempstead north of London. Police said the explosions, which injured 43 people, one seriously, appeared to be an accident. The depot, the fifth largest in Britain, is jointly run by oil companies Total and Texaco.