The fire is still in progress but “under control” and the death toll is one in absolute emergency. The Seveso “low threshold” factory of the Saipol group located in the port of Sète was the scene of an explosion on Wednesday afternoon, indicated the Hérault prefecture. The injured person is “being airlifted”, she said in a press release.
The incident is “in progress within the Saipol company, classified Seveso low threshold, located in the town of Sète. The rescue and security forces are engaged” and a “security perimeter” has been established, had alerted the prefecture on the social network “X”, specifying that a crisis departmental operational center (COD) has been activated within its walls. “Samples are taken on site (air and soil) as a precautionary measure. The results will be communicated in complete transparency,” added the prefecture’s account.
Two levels of risk
Established in the industrial zone of the port of Sète since 1989, the Saipol factory transforms imported rapeseed into protein-rich meal for animal feed and vegetable oils intended for the production of biofuels, according to its website.
Seveso sites are classified according to two risk levels, high threshold and low threshold, depending on the quantity of dangerous materials present.