The explosion at a chemical plant just outside the southwestern French city of Toulouse has left 29 dead and more than 2,400 injured, 34 of them critically, regional officials said today.
The 2,442 people injured in Friday's blast at the AZF chemical fertilizer plant included both those treated in hospitals and clinics and those who suffered minor injuries, authorities said. Earlier tolls did not reflect the total number of patients seen in the region's hospitals.
Late Sunday, 782 people were still in hospital, 34 of them suffering from critical injuries.
Authorities were still searching for answers about the cause of the blast, one of France's worst ever industrial incidents. They believe it was accidental.
Several reports said employees had made a mistake in mixing chemicals and others attributed the blast to a leak in a silo where ammonium nitrate was stocked.
AZF is the biggest fertilizer producer in France and is owned by the oil giant TotalFinaElf.
AFP