Toulouse chemical factory explosion
AZF from city center, 4 or 5 km (through tourist public telescope) | |
| Date | 21 September 2001 |
|---|---|
| Venue | AZF factory |
| Location | Toulouse, France |
| Type | Explosion (~20–30 tons of TNT) |
| Cause | Sodium dichloroisocyanurate and ammonium nitrate mishandling and reaction |
| Deaths | 31 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2,500 |
On 21 September 2001, an explosion occurred at the AZF (French initialism for AZote Fertilisant, i.e. nitrogen fertiliser) fertiliser factory in Toulouse, France, belonging to the Grande Paroisse branch of the Total group.
Three hundred tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored (the maximum capacity was 2,000 tonnes) in hangar 221 222. The entire factory was destroyed, making a crater with a depth of about 7 metres (23 ft) and a diameter of 40 metres (130 ft). Steel girders were found 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away from the explosion site. The blast measured 3.4 on the Richter scale, with an estimated power equivalent to 20-40 tons of TNT. The explosion was heard 80 km (50 miles) away. Due to the acoustics of the hills and the loud sound, the explosion was reported as occurring in multiple places. Police at first believed that at least five bombs had simultaneously gone off. There is still controversy over the exact number of explosions.
The factory was close to the city: one of the most inhabited areas, Le Mirail, is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away. Around ten percent of the inhabitants of Toulouse had to be evacuated.