Ghislenghien

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The church dedicated to the Evangelist John was built in 1906.

Ghislenghien ( ndl . : Gellingen ) is a place in Belgium in the province of Hainaut near the city of Ath and has around 3000 inhabitants. The village used to be an independent municipality and was incorporated into Ath as part of the municipal reform of 1976.

Gas explosion

The place hit the headlines when on July 30, 2004 a serious explosion occurred on a gas pipeline in an industrial area. At the time, a new factory building for Diamant Boart, a subsidiary of the equipment manufacturer Husqvarna , was built on the corresponding property . The hall was to be built directly above the natural gas pipeline from Zeebrugge to the French border, which was under high pressure of 80 bar . The gas transport company Fluxys used this line . Apparently the construction workers accidentally damaged the line. Around 8:30 a.m., some of them had alerted the fire department because of a strong gas smell . Apparently, a spark then ignited the escaping gas. At 8:56 a.m. - the area was about to be cordoned off - there were several severe explosions that destroyed three factories, tore a deep crater and tore the pipe over a length of over 200 meters. The flames - filmed by numerous residents and bystanders - hit the sky up to 100 meters high and could still be seen from a distance of 15 kilometers. 24 people died in the disaster and more than 132 suffered serious injuries. The victims were mostly fire fighters, factory workers and car occupants from a nearby street. The shock wave sometimes hurled cars over distances of several dozen meters. The authorities triggered a disaster alarm. Units of the Belgian armed forces , such as military helicopters, were also used to support the rescue work ; the neighboring country of France sent 100 medics, four helicopters and 20 rescue vehicles. All hospitals in Belgium were alerted and clinics in northern France also admitted the injured.

In May 2009, the trial to clarify the question of guilt began before the criminal court in Tournai . In addition to Fluxys and Husqvarna, construction companies, those responsible for the fire brigade and local authorities also had to answer. The prosecution saw the main culprit in the two companies - an argument that the judges did not follow. On February 22, 2010, the 286-page verdict was announced, which acquitted both companies. Accordingly, Fluxys was not obliged to monitor compliance with the safety regulations during construction work on the gas lines it used. An architect who had led the construction of the new factory for Husqvarna, however, was found guilty of a lack of safety precautions and negligent homicide .

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Coordinates: 50 ° 39 '  N , 3 ° 53'  E