5. Flixborough

5.1 Context

On Saturday 1 ^er June 1974, at 4:53 p.m., the Nypro Ltd chemical plant in Flixborough, a small rural town 260 km north of London, was partially destroyed by a blast reminiscent of an act of war, as the commission of inquiry was to report.

Of the 72 people on site, 28 were killed, 19 of them in the control room when windows shattered and the roof collapsed. 89 people were injured, 36 on site and 53 off. Clearly, had the accident occurred during the week, the death toll could have been as high as 500.

Material damage was considerable. All buildings within a 600 m radius were affected, over 2,400 were damaged and windows shattered within a 13 km radius.

Property...