Tank truck explodes in Ivanjica hospital, worker seriously injured: Strong detonation heard

Photo: rina.rs

An explosion occurred at the Ivanjica Rehabilitation Institute on Thursday afternoon. The accident happened as heating oil was drained from a tank truck, which was located in the immediate vicinity of the building.

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"One worker sustained severe physical injuries and was transferred to the hospital in Uzice. An investigation is currently underway, after which we will know exactly what happened," Dr. Miroslav Popovic, the director of the institution, told RINA.

The doctors are fighting to save the life of the worker.

Unofficially, the worker was thrown several meters away by the blast and had visible head injuries.

The detonation was so strong that it was heard in another part of the town.

"A strong explosion was heard, and very quickly there was thick smoke throughout the hospital. Bed-ridden patients, who are a majority in this hospital, had to use tissues soaked in alcohol because the stench was unbearable. The smoke cleared quickly, but the smell of burning lingered on," said one of the patients in the rehabilitation hospital.

According to Dr. Marijana Lisanin, the head of the Emergency Department of the Health Care Center in Ivanjica, who was in the ambulance accompanying the injured worker, this local man sustained life-threatening injuries during the explosion.

"He has numerous head injuries to soft tissues of the bone system. He had numerous cuts and was bleeding from multiple wounds to the head. He was able to breathe spontaneously all the time, but was unconscious. We transported him to the Uzice hospital, where further diagnostics will continue, after which it will be determined whether he has internal organ damage due to the strong explosion to which he had been exposed," said Dr. Lishanin.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but sources say there were two more compartments full of fuel in the tank truck, and that it was lucky the fire was extinguished after the first explosed.

(Telegraf.rs/RINA/Novosti)