The cause of the explosion has been identified as an industrial accident brought about when hazardous materials caught fire at a 20 metre high steel furnace which had just been repaired after being out of action for a weeks. It was during the coating of polymers on the furnaces’ interior walls, and its subsequent drying process, the explosion occurred.

According to one witness, “It appears a gas leak during the drying process was the cause of the explosion.”

Another witness who arrived at the scene said, “The results of the explosion could have been far more serious had the gas not collected in only the bottom third of the furnace. If the gas cloud had risen higher prior to the explosion, the incident would have resulted in a blaze.”

The Haaretz daily, citing an insider in the plant, “In light of the clearly apparent damage as a result of the explosion, it was a miracle that people weren’t killed. An inquiry [is] underway into the circumstances of the incident [and] the Zevulun District police [have] also opened an investigation.”

While a terror attack was initially suspected, the blast at the plant was merely the latest in a series of industrial accidents at Israel’s oil refineries. Such accidents have prompted the Israeli government to clamp down on work processes, but only from 2005 onwards.