Factory blast families seek inquiry

Five men and four women died when the Stockline factory in Glasgow collapsed after a gas explosion on May 11 2004.

The owners - ICL Plastics Ltd and ICL Tech Ltd - admitted four charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act. They now faces a fine , but the amount will not be decided until after a further two-day hearing later this month when more detail will be considered by the Judge Lord Brodie.

Rosemary Doyle, from Glasgow, who lost her daughter Annette, 34, said: "I feel very angry and bitter. Annette worked for the company and did her best for them. She is finished but they will go on. Yes, they'll get a fine but they will go on."

The families of victims also jointly called for a public inquiry into the tragedy. In a statement they said: "It is now time for the concerns of the families to be taken into account and we continue to call for a wide-reaching public inquiry that provides us with answers as to why these health and safety breaches occurred."

The call was echoed by local MP Ann McKechin. She said: "I am calling upon the governments both at Westminster and Holyrood to work as closely together in the coming weeks and months to ensure that the families receive the justice they deserve and the answers they all need."

Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after the blast, while people who were trapped and had been able to shout for help were being freed by local people. Eventually, 200 firefighters searched through the rubble in a bid to find survivors and rescue teams, who normally search for earthquake survivors around the world, were brought in.

Some workers were pulled alive from the rubble but nine others lost their lives. The last body was recovered on May 14. Around 40 other workers were also injured. One woman was trapped for almost nine hours before she was rescued.

After a joint investigation by police, prosecutors and the Health and Safety Executive and almost two years after the tragedy, the decision was made to prosecute ICL.

It emerged that a corroded pipe had leaked liquid petroleum gas into the four-storey building which ignited, causing the explosion and subsequently the building to collapse.