Explosion at Austrian gas plant kills one person and injures 21

An explosion at the Baumgarten Natural Gas Station in Austria resulted in the death of one person, and injured around 21.

Following the explosion, fire engulfed the site, just east of the capital Vienna, near the Slovak border.

Baumgarten receives imported gas from Russia and exports to other European countries.

Gas Connect, which operates the plant, did not pinpoint the exact circumstances of the accident, however, preliminary assumptions point to a technical fault.

In a statement, Gas Connect said: “The parts of the plant that were affected by the incident are currently non-operational.

“However, following extensive investigations by the fire brigade and the regional police, flows on the Trans Austria Gas pipeline towards Italy, the West Austria Gas pipeline to Germany and the Hungaria-Austria Gas pipeline will be restored over the next few hours.”

Currently, authorities belonging to the company are investigating the potential causes of the incident.

The explosion has led to supply concerns in other parts of Europe, with Italy declaring emergency owing to a lack of energy supplies.

Ukraine’s state-owned Ukrtransgaz was quoted by Reuters as saying: “Due to the emergency situation in the European Union there will be a temporary fall in the volume of natural gas transit across Ukraine in the Slovak direction.”