Three workers were killed in a chemical explosion at a longan orchard in Chiang Mai. The explosion occurred on Tuesday when workers were making a mixture of potassium chlorate to stimulate longan flowering for off-season longan production.
This incident killed two female workers and caused significant damage to the house, with a fire breaking out and two vehicles being damaged. Firefighters extinguished the flames and transported one male foreign worker suffering burns to the hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
The deputy Chiang Mai governor Chatchawan Panya along with the police inspected the incident site. The cause was identified as the mixing of 3 bags of potassium chlorate weighing 150 kilograms with 1 bag of urea weighing 50 kilograms, a formula used in off-season longan production. While packing the chemicals into one-kilogram bags and sealing them with the heat-sealing machine, the heat generated caused the explosion.
In the future, warnings will be issued to farmers using chemicals for off-season longan production. If mixing is required, it should be used immediately and not stored or piled together.
This is not the first time an incident involving potassium chlorate explosions has occurred. In 1999, there was an explosion at a longan drying facility in San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai. During that incident, 45 people lost their lives, over a hundred were injured, and numerous houses were damaged. (TNA)
