Horror Blast At Water Works

4 workers die as tank blows up

- Martin Fricker

Four workers were killed yesterday when a waste tank they were working on at a recycling plant blew up.

They were on the roof of the metal storage unit when it was torn apart by the explosion – sending one victim flying 150 yards away.

One eyewitness at the Geneco plant in Avonmouth, Bristol, said: “They didn’t stand a chance.”

Police said three of the victims worked for Geneco’s parent company Wessex Water and the fourth was a contractor.

A fifth worker miraculously survived the blast, which rocked the busy port area shortly after 11.22am.

Fire and ambulance crews raced to the scene after dozens of 999 calls from workers at nearby sites.

They found the bodies of three victims close to the wrecked tank and the fourth further away.

Specialist rescue teams used heat-seeking cameras, sniffer dogs and a helicopter to search the debris for further survivors.