Four dead in fuel tank explosion at Togo factory

LOME

Four people were killed when a tank exploded
at a cement factory outside Togo's capital Lome,
the country minister said on Wednesday,

"Six workers were carrying out welding work
on the roof of the tank when the tragedy happened
A total of four people died "Colonel Yark Damehame
told AFP.

The blast on Tuesday at the west African cement
Wacem plant in Tabligbo,some 75 kilometres north
of Lome ,left one worker seriously inuured and in
intensive care,

The sixth workers ,an Indian national,was missing
and a search was under way Damehame said

A staff representative at the plant,Emmanuel
Montche said the  Indian national was the foreman
and that 13 workers in total had been working
to repair the tank before the explosion,

The scene has been cordoned off, he added and
security forces are keeping watch over the factory.

"We are really shocked "Kodjovi  sedonou  deputy
head of mining union Sydemines told AFP "For the
 moment we haven't planned any protests ,but
people are furious,

:Living and working conditions are very difficult
in this factory ,There are no security measures on
site ,which repeatedly leads to work accidents'

Wacem ,an Indian company that has been based
in Togo since 1990 and employs  more than 900
workers there,was unavailable for comment,
AFP