| Place: | Lapua, Finland |
| Reported Injuries: | 60 |
| Reported Death(S): | 40 |
The Lapua Cartridge Factory explosion (Finnish: Lapuan patruunatehtaan räjähdys) was an industrial disaster in an ammunition factory in Lapua, Finland on 13 April 1976. Forty workers[1] were killed and 60 people injured. This was Finland's worst industrial disaster.[2]
The explosion occurred at 07:43, completely destroying the building.[3] The blast was heard up to away.[4] Most of the injured had been in the factory at the time, but some outside were injured by shrapnel.[5] Of the dead, thirty-five were women. Fifty-two children under the age of 16 lost at least one parent in the accident.[5]
A strike by telephone engineers meant that there was reduced communication in Lapua at this time,[3] as many of the circuits had not been fully repaired after the winter and the telephone exchange was quickly overwhelmed as relatives phoned searching for information.[4] Rescue efforts were hampered by fires, causing several of the remaining cartridges to explode at sporadic intervals.[6] Beginning at 08:05, the injured began to be transferred to the district hospital in Seinäjoki.[3] Staff at this hospital had already received training in preparation for a major incident, as the town was located at a railway junction.[4] Medical staff were concerned that the clothing worn by victims of the incident could include live ammunition which could be accidentally set off.[5] Military helicopters brought blood supplies from Helsinki for transfusions.[5]
The day of the disaster, the Minister of Defence, Ingvar S. Melin, visited the health centre in the town and the Parliament of Finland observed a minute's silence.[5] The funeral service of all 40 victims took place in the southern park of Lapua Cathedral and was broadcast live on Finnish television.[1] [5] The accident resulted in an enhanced level of crisis support from the Finnish authorities and donations from private individuals came in from across the nation to help.[1]
Debris from the scene was taken to the laboratory of the Finnish Defence Forces for analysis.[7] In November 1976 investigators found that the explosion had begun with a machine which dispensed gunpowder and had spread from there, causing a chain reaction.[8] Investigators tested numerous possible scenarios, among them the theory that rust had caused the machine to malfunction or that a foreign object had lodged in it. However, a definitive cause of the explosion was never discovered.[8] Investigators speculated that poor ventilation in the factory had caused a buildup of gunpowder dust, which was then ignited by a spark.[4] The accident resulted in new legislation in the armaments industry which brought in stricter safety measures.[7]
In 1978 legal action against the factory's owners began; this ended in 1982 with all defendants being acquitted.[8] A few weeks after the explosion, the decision was taken to rebuild the factory. It was rebuilt from the town centre.[8]