Suspected Hazardous Leak Reported at Kiryat Gat Intel Plant Weeks After Fatal Blast
A suspected hazardous materials leak was reported at the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat, less than a week after a fatal nitrogen tank explosion killed two workers.
Less than a week after a fatal nitrogen tank explosion at the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat that claimed the lives of two workers, authorities reported a suspected hazardous materials leak at the very same facility on Monday morning. Workers at the plant reported being instructed to shelter in place inside the building as emergency services responded.
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services stated that emergency dispatch received reports of a suspected chemical leak on site. Hazardous materials units from the Ashkelon station were immediately dispatched to the scene to monitor, stabilize, and sample the substances involved. Officials emphasized that the incident is strictly contained within the plant's perimeter, posing no threat to nearby residents, and confirmed that no injuries have been reported in the latest leak.
Last week's tragedy at the Kiryat Gat facility resulted in the deaths of two Intel employees: 49-year-old Ilya Chechulin and 35-year-old Yakir Koseashvili. A third worker, a man in his twenties, remains hospitalized in serious condition at Soroka Medical Center's intensive care unit. According to fire officials, the disaster was caused by a technical failure involving an 8-ton nitrogen trifluoride tank.
