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San Lorenzo, Paraguay, February 8 (EFE) – Sadness, helplessness and some hope were felt Thursday for workers affected by an ammonia tank explosion inside a sausage factory in the Paraguayan city of San Lorenzo. united families. Asuncion.
Wednesday's explosion at the Oxy factory killed one worker and injured 41 others. The next day, most of the victims remained at the Ingabi Surgical Hospital in the town of Fernando de la Mora.
According to the report released Thursday, 17 of the patients are being discharged from the hospital, nine are in intensive care in critical condition and three are under observation in critical condition.
But even outside the hospital, the anxiety persisted.
“He is fighting for his life,” Laureana Ponce told EFE of her husband Nelson Vera, 41, who suffered burns to 80 percent of his body.
Bela, a driver who delivers Oksi products, had finished work for the day when the incident occurred.
“He was just getting dressed to go home,” his wife said. Her three children are still waiting for him.
In the midst of a 37-degree summer, the family of Cristian Villalba, 29, and Laureana were looking for some solace.
They sat in a circle, drinking traditional Paraguayan iced tea called terere and waiting for news.
Cristian's father, Justo Villalba, lamented, “By bad luck and accident, my son went to the nearby toilet.''
Villalba, who heard the explosion but did not imagine its severity, told EFE that her son was working on weighing products in a different section from where the explosion occurred.
A young man remains intubated and sedated as a result of ammonia inhalation poisoning that affected his lungs.
“It doesn't get better or worse,” he said.
His father, who is just over 50 years old, was counting the minutes until he received an update on his son's condition. He takes sips of Terere to ease his anxiety, but sometimes his tears just won't stop.
The situation was different for the relatives of 24-year-old Gustavo Notario. After the young man went into cardiac arrest three times, he could not be revived.
“What should I say to my 6-year-old daughter who lost her father because of the irresponsibility of that company?” asked Laura Amarilla, Notario's partner.
Oxi representative Johannes van der Roo told the hospital that the company would provide support in the medical, financial and psychological areas.
During the struggle, the area around the factory fell into disrepair and was sealed off.
A slight odor of ammonia wafted from the accident scene, and prosecutor Gerardo Moqueira told reporters it was not yet clear whether the tank explosion was caused by tampering or a malfunction.
“This is the first time in 70 years that something like this has happened,” Moqueira said of his discussions with company leaders.
