Explosion of Coke-Oven-Gas Holder at Nagoya Works of Nippon Steel Corporation

At about 7:42 pm on September 3rd， 2003， the coke-oven-gas holder on the premises of Nagoya Works exploded and caught fire. The accident was immediately reported to the fire authorities and police. Fire fighting started promptly and the blaze was extinguished at 3:26 am on September 4th.

We sincerely apologize for the great trouble， anxiety and inconvenience caused to the people of the local community and those concerned.

It is with deep regret that we inform you that ten Nippon Steel and five associated company employees were injured by scattering debris of glass， etc. They were immediately taken to hospitals for medical treatment. Fortunately， none of their conditions was life-threatening and fourteen of the injured have already been released from hospital. We will look after those affected by the accident with sincerity.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the authorities with our full cooperation. The effect of the incident to our production is also being investigated.

We are determined to do all we can never to repeat similar accidents in the future. We will implement all possible measures for this purpose and strengthen our safety inspection system.




Inquiries about this matter should be addressed to:

Public Relations Center
Nippon Steel Corporation
Phone: 03-3275-5022 and -5023