Photo taken on Feb. 17, 2023 shows the explosion site of a fireworks factory in Vrhnika, a town about 20 kilometers west of Ljubljana, Slovenia. One man was killed and two badly injured in an explosion that occurred on Friday at a facility of fireworks manufacturer Hamex in Vrhnika, the police said. (Vrhnika Civil Protection/STA/Handout via Xinhua)
LJUBLJANA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- One man was killed and two badly injured in an explosion that occurred on Friday at a facility of fireworks manufacturer Hamex in Vrhnika, a town about 20 kilometers west of the capital Ljubljana, the police said.
No other persons had been present at the site when the blast occurred, they added.
The blast caused a large fire, which took several hours for the firemen to put out. Police and firefighters sealed off the area. The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
Doctors at Slovenia's main University Medical Center Ljubljana are fighting for the lives of the two injured workers, who both suffered severe burns and internal injuries.
Minister of Labor, Family and Social Affairs Luka Mesec told reporters that the government would prepare legislation to prevent such accidents in the future once the reason for the explosion is established.
Last May, an explosion that occurred at the Melamin plant in the southern Slovenian town of Kocevje killed seven people. It was the biggest industrial accident in the country since Slovenia's independence in 1991. ■