Air cylinder blast rocks neighbours

A cylinder filled with compressed air exploded into several pieces and ripped through the roof of a gas plant in Kirkop yesterday before ending up in a neighbouring field.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred after a malfunction developed while the cylinder was being filled mechanically with compressed air. No personnel were in the area at the time of the blast.

The company, Multigas Ltd, said preliminary investigations indicated the incident had been caused by a fault in its dedicated compressed air station. The station has now been shut down until it is established conclusively what caused the incident.

The compressed air station represents a very minimal part of the company's activity and has nothing to do with the more delicate core processes, Multigas said as it sought to reassure neighbouring residents.

Kirkop local council has called for a magisterial inquiry into the incident to ensure there is no repeat.

The incident could have had more serious consequences, the council said, reiterating its concern given the proximity of the plant to the residential homes.

"The council would like to express its solidarity with the workers and the residents who live nearby and who were shocked after the explosion shook the area."

The police, along with the company's own experts, are investigating the incident.

Residents and the council had objected to the plant when Multigas relocated from Sta Venera to Kirkop in 2002. The matter had even been taken to the European Commission, which eventually ruled it found nothing wrong with the process leading to the approval of the plant's relocation.