One dead, six injured in Rotterdam Port facility explosion

One person died and six others were injured in an explosion at a petroleum-products storage facility in the Port of Rotterdam on Thursday, Dutch authorities confirmed. The blast occurred at the Gunvor Energy facility located on Moezelweg in the Europoort area.

A maintenance crew was reportedly working on pipelines near the tank storage area when the explosion happened. Initial information suggests workers may have been disconnecting pipes at the time. Two Gunvor employees and four subcontractor workers sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital. The severity of their injuries has not yet been disclosed.

Police have cordoned off the site and initiated an investigation into the explosion's cause. Authorities stated there was no immediate evidence of sabotage, and all possibilities are being considered. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate is conducting a separate inquiry, with initial assessments pointing towards a potential workplace accident.

The explosion followed earlier power disruptions in parts of the port, including a fire at a transformer station reportedly caused by a power surge. The regional safety authority confirmed a connection between some power-related incidents, though port authorities clarified that the explosion itself was not linked to these outages. Gunvor Energy stated it is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigations. The Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest, houses significant oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities. While LNG terminals remained unaffected, some operations experienced temporary disruptions due to the power problems.