Published since 07.2002
Published on May 15, 2009
NAIRIT FALLOUT: DEATH TOLL IN RUBBER PLANT BLAST RISES TO FOUR AMID MOUNTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
- The death toll in serious explosions and fire at Armenia’s sprawling chemical plant that occurred Thursday late afternoon has risen to four, according to the information confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and the administration of the enterprise itself. It is also reported that eight people who sustained bodily injuries of different severity have now been discharged from hospital. Nairit, a chemical giant on the southern outskirts of Armenian capital Yerevan that also specializes in synthetic rubber production, was rocked by a series of explosions followed by fire on Thursday at around 6.40 pm. The incident prompted a massive effort by different services, including police, rescuers, paramedics and others, who managed to take the situation under control in late evening. On Friday, Nairit has released the names of its four workers who were killed inside the premises of a chloroprene production shop. They are: Levon Levonyan (born in 1959); Hovhannes Hovhannisyan (1958); Vahan Gharibyan (1959); and Artur Karapetyan (1970). It took firefighters several hours before they could localize the fire first and then completely extinguish it. Eventually, the fire gutted an area of 1,500 square meters. Officials in charge of relevant state bodies say there are no serious environmental risks following what happened. But some people still feel uneasy and skeptical of official statements. Astghik Atayan, 22, who lives in a residential area adjacent to the chemical plant, says she was at her computer, working, when she heard a balcony door being slammed (by someone, as she thought then). Some time later, however, she felt another thrust and then saw rising smoke, running people, rushing ambulances and fire engines. “But the situation was heavier in areas in the immediate neighborhood of Nairit. My husband has friends there and he says one of them had taken his two-year-old child to the countryside to avoid any harm, since nothing beside smoke could be seen there. Last night, we closed our doors tight before going to bed. Nothing happened, but we aren’t sure something won’t happen,” the woman said. Through its press service, the Nairit administration on Friday officially stated that the explosions and fire at the plant did not entail any serious ecological consequences – “there are no harmful emissions.” Director of the Social-Ecological Association Srbuhi Harutyunyan, who is a chemist-ecologist by training, says, however, that a large quantity of acetylene, which is the main material for obtaining synthetic rubber, was emitted into the atmosphere as a result of the fire. This acetylene is mixed with oxygen causing various poisonous chemical substances. “As a result, the quantity of oxygen is reduced in the environment and those poisonous materials first of all start to influence people’s respiratory tract. Since these materials can remain in the air for quite a long time, it becomes very dangerous for people’s health.” Harutyunyan says that one could have predicted the unfortunate event of an explosion, since currently the plant operates only one line through which it receives raw materials for production, while during the Soviet times, for safety reasons, three lines were used for the purpose: “That’s why there were no such explosions at that time and people did not lose their lives.” Nairit officials cited busy schedules as a reason for refusing to provide any substantial details or, otherwise, referred ArmeniaNow to the company’s official website, which says that work continues on the premises to bring it in order and that the incident cannot cause any environmental harm. “The cause of the fire will become clear only from the ad hoc group of specialists that has already been set up and now is looking into the occurrence,” said advisor to the Director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Nikolay Grigoryan. Earlier, the Prosecutor-General’s Office instituted criminal proceedings in connection with the case. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Nature Protection told ArmeniaNow that specialists from the ministries of nature protection and emergency situations as well as the plant itself will give a joint press conference soon during which they will also address environmental concerns. The Soviet-era built chemical giant has experienced less serious emergencies in the past that were mostly blamed on its obsolete equipment and low safety standards. In December 2006, it took firefighters two days to extinguish the fire that started in two Nairit reservoirs with inflammable waste. Nairit, employing more than 1,000 people, resumed its work last month after several months of idling blamed on the downturn in the world economy. The plant currently owned by the British-registered firm Rhinoville Property Limited has experienced difficulties in recent years, which became more apparent late last year as the country’s economy began to feel the impact of the global economic crisis. Nairit was visited by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan on April 28 as it resumed its operations, with plans to produce up to 750 tons of rubber a month. Meeting with Sargsyan on Friday, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov said Russia was ready to give assistance to Armenia in eliminating the consequences of the emergency at the chemical plant, reports RIA Novosti news agency. Meanwhile, President Serzh Sargsyan accompanied by ministers and the mayor of Yerevan visited Nairit on Friday.
- Karine Ionesyan
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Today in Armenian history- 1827 Harootyoon Alamdaryan exhorts the soldiers before their departure for the front.
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- 1946 Death of Grigor Avetyan (actor) in Yerevan. He was born in 1870.
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