One dead, four seriously injured in boiler explosion at Guadeloupe's Montebello distillery

The explosion

At around 8:30 local time (14:30 in Paris) on Friday, July 24, a boiler exploded at the Montebello rum distillery in Petit-Bourg, a commune on the island of Basse-Terre in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe. The distillery is located approximately 45 kilometers from Basse-Terre, the administrative capital of the archipelago. The blast did not trigger a fire, but it caused extensive structural damage. The distillery's roof was torn open by the force of the explosion, and concrete blocks were hurled onto neighboring houses, according to a gendarme at the scene. An AFP journalist present described the smell of burning and rum, with bagasse (the dry fibrous residue of crushed sugarcane) swirling in the wind. Bagasse, the dry fibrous residue left after sugarcane is crushed, is commonly used as a biofuel in rum distilleries. The explosion occurred in the morning, and the toll was revised later in the afternoon.

Casualties and rescue

One person died and four others were seriously injured. The deceased was a man in his fifties who had been employed at the distillery for a year and a half, said Samuel Cerol, the plant's director general. The injured victims suffered severe burns and fractures. One of them was in cardiorespiratory arrest but was successfully resuscitated, firefighter commander Thierry Falémé told AFP. He initially reported five seriously injured. Later in the afternoon, the vice-prosecutor of Pointe-à-Pitre, Alexandra Onfray, updated the toll, confirming one death and stating that two of the injured had life-threatening prognoses.

One dead and two life-threatening prognoses.

One of them, in cardiorespiratory arrest, was able to be revived.

Approximately 20 firefighters from the Guadeloupe fire and rescue service were mobilized to the site. The injured were transported to the University Hospital of Pointe-à-Pitre for treatment. Twelve other individuals present were described as "shocked" but physically unharmed. A psychological support unit was opened in the neighborhood to assist them. All production activity at the distillery has been suspended.

## Investigation The public prosecutor's office in Pointe-à-Pitre has opened an investigation for involuntary homicide and involuntary injuries in the workplace. The precise cause of the boiler explosion has not yet been determined. No further details about the circumstances leading to the blast have been made public. The investigation is ongoing.

The distillery

The Montebello distillery, founded in 1930, is one of the oldest rum producers in Guadeloupe. It was in the middle of its production season at the time of the accident, when sugarcane is harvested and processed into rum. The facility processes locally grown sugarcane to produce rum under the Montebello brand name. The distillery has been operating for nearly a century and is a well-known producer in the French Caribbean.