An investigation is underway following an explosion at a weapons manufacturing facility in Monmouthshire.
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service reported responding to an incident at the BAE Systems Glascoed premises in the Usk area of the county.
Emergency services were summoned to the site around 10:49 am on Wednesday, April 17, following an explosion inside a building. They established an incident control post to manage the situation.
In a statement released on X, the emergency service reported: “At 10:49 am on Wednesday, April 17th, an incident took place at the BAE Systems Glascoed site, involving an explosion within a building.
All emergency services are on-site, and an Incident Control Post has been established to manage the situation.”
BAE Systems, the UK’s largest defense firm, activated safety protocols “immediately” following the incident, according to a spokesperson. They also confirmed the initiation of a comprehensive investigation.
The company also confirmed that all its staff members were safe and accounted for, stating: “Our emergency response team is actively overseeing the facility, and a thorough investigation is underway.”
According to a witness quoted by the South Wales Argus, “It wasn’t very loud from my location, but it felt like an earthquake. My car shook.”
The company also confirmed that all its staff members were safe and accounted for, stating: “Our emergency response team is actively overseeing the facility, and a thorough investigation is underway.”
According to a witness quoted by the South Wales Argus, “It wasn’t very loud from my location, but it felt like an earthquake. My car shook.”
The site receives empty ammunition bodies from BAE’s plant in Washington, Tyne and Wear, and fills them with explosives to produce artillery shells and charges. BAE states that it provides 80% of the armed forces’ general munitions for training and operations.
A spokesperson from BAE Systems stated, “We can confirm that there was an incident at our Glascoed facility in Wales this morning.
“Tried and tested safety protocols were immediately enacted, and emergency services attended the site.
“All personnel are accounted for, and there were no injuries. Our emergency response team continues to monitor the facility, and a full investigation has been launched.”
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