On 14 January 2020, two explosions at the Chemical Industries of Ethylene Oxide (IQOXE) site in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain,[1][2] killed three offsite people and injured seven.
Thirty teams of firefighters ensured that the propylene oxide left in the tank burned in a controlled manner.
As a temporary measure, people in the area (populations of La Canonja, Vilaseca and 3 neighbourhoods of Tarragona) were confined in their homes.
[6] A third person, Sergio Millán, 59, was killed after being struck by a steel plate, which was most likely the lid of the reactor tank, that was catapulted over a distance of 2 km (1.2 mi) due to the blast of the explosion.
[9][10] The IQOXE site is classified as an "upper tier establishment" under Directive 2012/18/EU, meaning its operators should comply with the strictest safety regimen.