6 hurt in Malabon paper mill blast

MANILA, Philippines – Six people were hurt in a predawn blast that shattered a 5-story building inside a paper mill compound in Malabon City, Saturday.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Villanueva, Malabon City police chief, said the explosion took place around 3 a.m. inside the Globe Paper Mill’s compound along Governor A. Pascual Avenue in Barangay Potrero.

Villanueva said the explosion came from the 5-story carbon dioxide and nitrogen plant inside the paper mill compound.

He said 4 of the 6 injured victims were working inside the plant when the explosion took place. It was not clear if the 2 other victims were residents or workers of a nearby subdivision and a textile company that were also affected by the blast.

Villanueva said the 5-story plant was almost obliterated by the explosion. Another building inside the paper mill compound was damaged, as well as houses in nearby Golden Ville Subdivision and textile plant Lucky Blue Corp.

The city police chief, meanwhile, said they will question the paper mill’s owners on why they prevented fire trucks and policemen to immediately enter the compound.

He said that Canuto Oreta has also ordered the police to probe into the blast incident thoroughly. – Report from Dennis Datu, radio dzMM