One Missing in Plant Explosion in Eastern Japan

August 23, 2018

Mito, Ibaraki Pref.- A truck driver in his 30s is missing after an explosion at a stone crushing facility in Sakuragawa, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Thursday morning.

A truck and a powder house at the site were destroyed in the explosion, which took place around 8:30 a.m. (11:30 p.m. Wednesday GMT), according to local fire authorities.

The incident apparently occurred when the truck was being loaded with dynamite used for crushing stones, the Ibaraki prefectural police department and other sources said.

The windows of about 40 houses in the neighborhood suffered damage from the explosion.

With explosive materials possibly remaining at the site, the police dispatched officers trained in handling such materials to the scene. Jiji Press