Two workers – one from demolition firm John F Hunt and another from access specialist Nationwide Platforms – have been killed following an explosion and fire at a former steelworks.
The two men were involved in the accident at the site in South Bank, Redcar, on Thursday.
The coke oven plant they were working at closed in 2015 after former operator SSI UK collapsed. The site was in the hands of the Official Receiver and John F Hunt held a £100,000 contract to demolish the ammonia washers.
Following the accident, Cleveland Police declared a major incident and put a 250m cordon around the site. Incident commander detective superintendent Tariq Ali said: “We can now confirm that there have sadly been two fatalities as a result of an incident at the former SSI site in South Bank yesterday.
“The families of those two men have been informed and our thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time.”
In a statement, Nationwide Platforms said: “It is with deep regret and shock that we confirm that a much-loved Nationwide Platforms employee died as a result of the explosion at the former SSI steelworks site in Redcar on 19 September.
“According to Cleveland Police, another person also lost their life in the incident. The families of the two men have been informed.”
Mark Keily, health, safety and environmental director, Nationwide Platforms, added: “Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, friends and colleagues at this awful time. We are in close contact with our employee’s family to ensure they receive every bit of support and guidance possible.
“Meanwhile Nationwide Platforms is, among others, assisting the authorities with their enquiries. At this early stage, we can’t comment further. As a leading powered access rental provider, we take our responsibilities for health and safety extremely seriously.”
John F Hunt has been contacted for comment.
Update: Police have named the two men who died in the incident at the former SSI Site on Thursday 19 September as John Mackay, 49, from Edinburgh and Tommy Williams, 65, from Warwickshire.
