Explosion at Lochem factory; One killed

One person was killed in an explosion on a factory site on Kwinkweerd in Lochem on Monday morning, the Gelderland police said on Twitter. The cause of the explosion and the identity of the victim are not yet known.

The explosion happened in a sea container at the Twentsche Kabelfabriek, according to emergency services reports. The company manufactures electricity and fiber optic cables. Part of the site was cordoned off by police tape and screens were placed around the sea container, wrote Omroep Gelderland.

The fire department responded to the scene at around 7:20 a.m., after receiving the emergency alarm. Ambulances followed shortly thereafter. More emergency services were deployed once it became clear that there had been an explosion and the alarm was elevated to a mid-size fire.

An investigation by the labor inspectorate was underway Monday morning, aided by police forensic experts working to determine the cause of the explosion, authorities confirmed.