Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The management of Alpart Bauxite Company in Nain, St Elizabeth, says a preliminary investigation into an incident at its facility Tuesday evening has revealed that a malfunctioning valve caused an emission from the plant. Nearby residents claimed the emission resulted in injuries.

"We are now investigating the cause of this emission, but certainly there has been no explosion or equipment damage," managing director Alberto Fabrini told The Gleaner yesterday.

"What happened, apparently, was that a malfunctioning valve suddenly released the emission into the atmosphere. So the system has never during this period been over-pressured, so now our normal procedure is to investigate, find the root cause and to take action to correct this problem from being repeated in the future."

Already treated

Fabrini said residents who complained of injuries had already been taken to the clinic for treatment, and that farmers who suffered losses would be compensated once the evidence proved that the losses were as a result of the incident.

The residents from the surrounding communities, including New Building, New Pond and Myers-ville, have reported suffering injuries and loss of crops due to liquid and caustic soda associated with the emission.