Eleven factory workers were rushed to a Beacon Bay hospital after they were injured in a blast on Thursday night at a factory manufacturing car parts in the East London Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala confirmed that the eight men and three women sustained injuries after a chemical reaction. Mqala said the factory was closed and firefighters were summoned to extinguish the blaze.
Telfex Automative factory is one of the largest suppliers of car parts to major companies. Mqala said: "An inquiry has been opened to investigate the cause of the fire. No foul play is suspected at the moment."
IDZ spokeswoman Ayanda Ramncwana confirmed the accident. "This serves to confirm that there was an incident within one of our enterprises in the zone. At this point we have not yet ascertained the cause or the extent of the damage."
Ramncwana said a full statement about the incident would be released on Friday.
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