12 May 2004	Wednesday	21 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

GLASGOW, May 11: At least four people were killed when a huge explosion flattened a Scottish plastics factory on Tuesday, trapping workers in the wreckage, rescuers said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known, though one report spoke of a possible gas leak. Local fire chief Brian Sweeney said there were three dead and 37 injured in the blast. A police spokesman later said a fourth body had been pulled from the rubble.

Sweeney said rescuers had pulled six people from the rubble and were in voice communication with five others. At the scene, wounded people staggered near the rubble with bandaged, bloodied faces.

"All of us should share the optimism that there are people in there alive that we can get out alive. Of those five I would be optimistic that all will be rescued within the next few hours," he said.

"They are in varying states of being able to talk. Some are injured. Some are badly injured, some are in shock. There are two pockets where there are groups of people.

"We have talked to individuals who are next to individuals who are unconscious." Mr Sweeney said it was unclear how many more people might be trapped under the heap of rubble that was all that remained of the Stockline Plastics factory in Scotland's largest city.

There were 120 emergency workers at the scene, but numbers being allowed onto the rubble were being limited as it was unstable. "We were working away when we heard a massive bang and everything rattled and shook," said eyewitness Suzanne Townsley, who works at a hairdresser opposite.

"The glass was blown out of all the cars on the street," she told Reuters. "It was terrifying because we had no idea what was happening." Thermal imaging equipment and hydraulic supports were taken to the site, where rescuers had pulled out about six injured people during the afternoon.

FLATTENED: Sky News said the blast may have been caused by a gas leak but police could not confirm that. Two navy helicopters were sent to help the rescue operation, at least 15 fire engines were at the scene and ambulances ferried the injured to three local hospitals.

"The building has been almost completely flattened into a pile of rubble, debris was flying everywhere after the blast and clouds of smoke are covering the area," reporter Stewart Patterson, of the Glasgow Evening Times, told Sky.

"There's only a small section still standing...Quite a crowd has gathered and paramedics and emergency services are digging through the rubble with their hands. "It looks like a site after a powerful earthquake."

A spokeswoman for gas operator Transco said the fire service had given no indication of a gas leak. "There is no smell of gas in the area. Normally you would expect some kind of gas smell (following a leak)," she said. -Reuters