Explosion at fuel service station on A-7 motorway in Spain leaves four people seriously injured

Four workers at a service station on the A-7 Autovía del Mediterráneo in Almeria province in Andalucía were seriously injured in an explosion this Friday (18 August) when, according to initial reports, they were manipulating a fuel pump valve.

Police and health sources have indicated to Europa Press that one of the injured has required urgent transfer to the major burns unit of the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville and another remains in the intensive care unit of the Torrecárdenas hospital in Almeria city.

The explosion happened at 9.30am at the Carrión service station, on the Mediterranean motorway as it passes through Almeria, and four workers were caught in the blast.

Initial evidence suggests that a "build-up of gases" while they were handling one of the fuel dispenser chambers was the cause of the explosion.

According to 112 Andalucía, three of those injured by burns were rushed to hospital by the service station's own means, while a fourth was treated by 061 health staff at the site of the accident.

National Police, fire brigade, health services and Local Police were on the scene, and the Labour Inspectorate and the Centre for the Prevention of Occupational Risks were notified.

Apart from the most seriously injured, whose lives "are in danger" according to police sources, the other two workers affected remain under observation in the Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas de Almería.