Blast At Brazil Explosives Factory Kills Nine Workers

Nine workers have been confirmed dead following an explosion at an explosives manufacturing plant in Quatro Barras, near Curitiba, the capital of Paraná state in southern Brazil.

The blast occurred early Tuesday morning, just before 6:00 a.m. local time, while employees were on shift. Six men and three women lost their lives, and seven others were injured.

Emergency crews, assisted by sniffer dogs, initially searched for nine missing workers. However, the state’s security minister later confirmed that the search had ended with no hope of finding survivors, given the extent of the damage.

The factory is owned by Enaex, a company that produces explosives for civilian use in sectors such as mining and construction. The firm has begun investigating the cause of the incident and pledged full cooperation with authorities.

The explosion’s impact was felt in neighbouring communities, where residents reported being woken by the blast. Authorities say the shockwave damaged homes within a 1.5-kilometre radius, shattering windows and causing structural harm. A large crater was left at the site.

Enaex, which has operated at the location for around 50 years, holds all required operating licences. The company expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said it would support the investigation to determine what caused the tragedy.