Police investigating cause of Middelburg factory blast (pics)
01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author
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Police at Middelburg in the Eastern Cape are investigating a case of arson, following an explosion at the Rolfe Laboratory on Monday morning.
The explosion that ignited the fire was felt throughout the town and led to the entire building being evacuated.
Police captain Stephani Smith says at least 35 people were treated for burn wounds at the Wilhelm Stahl Hospital.
Eighteen of the injured were transferred to the Dora Nginza hospital in Port Elizabeth with serious burns.
Smith says a headcount is still in process by the company to determine who was on duty at the time of the explosion and to determine the exact number of casualties.
She says the fire at the perfume factory has been extinguished and once the fire department gives the all-clear, police and search and rescue teams will enter the premises to look for those not yet accounted for.
Meanwhile one of the owners of the laboratory, Brad Rolfe, was on his way to Middelburg to assess the damage.
He told AlgoaFM news that the entire facility had been sealed off.
He said he'd be going straight to the hospital to offer support to those injured in the explosion.
Rolfe said the facility had been producing perfume at its site in Middelburg for the past 40 years and employed between 350 and 500 people.
