6 dead, 2 hurt in Czech chemical factory explosion

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Associated Press
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Petr David Josek
REMOVES THE NAME OF THE CHEMICAL FACTORY People work at the site of an explosion in a chemical plant in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czech Republic, Thursday, March 22, 2018. Vladimira Kerekova, spokeswoman for the regional firefighters, says an explosion in a chemical factory, north of Prague, the Czech Republic has killed six people and injured an unspecified number. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

PRAGUE (AP) — An explosion rocked a chemical factory Thursday in the Czech Republic, killing six people and injuring two others, officials said.

Unipetrol, a Czech oil processor and plastics producer, said the blast took place inside one of the storage tank for fuels and additives in its refinery in the town of Kralupy nad Vltavou, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the capital Prague.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blast.
A Kralupy town crisis manager, Lukas Hodik, said the explosion seemed to occur when workers were cleaning an empty tank. 

Regional firefighters confirmed that six people were killed and that the two injured were sent to the hospital. Spokesman Petr Svoboda said there was no danger of further explosions at the site.

No dangerous substances have leaked out, according to police spokeswoman Marketa Jonova.

Acting Prime Minister Andrej Babis expressed his condolences to the relatives.

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This version removes an incorrect earlier reference to the Synthos company. The factory is run by Unipetrol, not Synthos.

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