By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 11 workers, including three foreign nationals were on Thursday morning killed following an electric fault at a sugar factory in the eastern district of Mvomero, Tanzania, leading to an explosion, police said.
The electrical fault caused a steam pipe to burst as a technical team was getting their machines to start the day’s production.
Among those who lost their lives include citizens of Brazil, India, China and Kenya, in addition to Tanzanians, officials say with two persons critically injured.
Alex Mkama, the regional police commander, said that his team was investigating the cause of the incident, a BBC report says.
The explosion occurred at about 01:00 local time on Thursday [23:00 GMT Wednesday] at a factory run by Mtibwa Sugar Estates Limited, one of Tanzania’s main sugar manufacturers.
Police authorities said all the deceased were electrical and machine staffs who work in the factory’s control room.
Arising from the incident, Mtibwa Sugar Company has announced the immediate suspension of all production activities in the factory.
Heritage Times HT gathered that Mtibwa is one of the biggest sugar factories in the east African country.
According to a government data, it produces at least 70,000 metric tons of sugar annually.
The bodies of the deceased workers have been moved to the mortuary of the factory’s hospital.
