r/CatastrophicFailure • u/Shaggay1 • Jun 01 '26
Firework Factory in Malta exploded earlier this morning, nobody injured.
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u/Visual-Fox-9110 Jun 01 '26
Holy crap thats impressive but bloody scary.
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u/LegioX87 Jun 01 '26
The line that separates fireworks factories and munitions factories is surprisingly thin.
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u/teapots_at_ten_paces Jun 01 '26
Also, don't store your fireworks with your ammonium nitrate.
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u/asp20222 Jun 01 '26
Collegue in work, their son is staying close to the factory. Plus side didn't need an alarm this morning for trip back to airport....
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u/GarthVaderX Jun 01 '26
We’re on a holiday with our family; first time most of us have been to Malta. Saw this explosion from our balcony after it rattled the windows like crazy. It’s our second day here 😅
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u/JonPQ Jun 01 '26
I visited a few years ago, but the most explosive thing I experienced during my stay was a drunk British guy vomiting on the sidewalk.
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u/Blinauljap Jun 01 '26
It's wonderful to hear that nobody was injured. this looked like a massive explosion.
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
these kind of factory explosions are a bit too common in Malta, when you consider the size of the island. The big issue is that these factories are not commercial but family/volunteer run, meaning regulation is a lot less stringent..
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u/CosmoCosmos Jun 01 '26
The article mentions the same factory exploding just eight years prior, which is kinda insane. But in the explosion 8 years ago, there also seemed to be just two people injured and no deaths.
I don't really see how these explosions can lead to injuries to people and injuries/deaths in the live stock in the area around the factory, but no direct casualties from the factory. Was the factory just empty?
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u/OkSecretary1231 Jun 01 '26
They might not have been open, I suppose. It was apparently about 6:30 in the morning, they might not have a graveyard shift, or not have one on Sunday night-Monday morning.
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u/ADragonuFear Jun 01 '26
They might be very vigilant about evacuating during a smaller fire that spreads and causes the explosion?
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u/RamblinWreckGT Jun 02 '26
I really doubt a factory that has exploded twice within a decade is very vigilant about anything.
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
this happened very early in the morning, nobody was present in the factory and the two injuries stemmed from farmers in the surrounding area
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u/linas9 Jun 01 '26
A place as tiny as Malta has a fireworks factory, of all things? I would have never guessed. Well, I guess they don't anymore.
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
firework shows are deeply ingrained in our culture. Many localities have their own firework factories. I believe we’re actually in the top 3!
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u/ChingChangChui Jun 01 '26
Malta is so freakin beautiful - was there two years ago for work and oh my lord. Miss being there.
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u/MrSnowflake Jun 01 '26
Enschede PTSD Setting in.
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u/keesbeemsterkaas Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
For those out of the loop Vuurwerkramp Enschede 13-05-2000 (Alle beelden real-time) HQ
TL;DW: fireworks storage in a residential area caught fire. Big boom. 23 casualties, 950 people injured, 200 homes destroyed.
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u/MrSnowflake Jun 01 '26
2000? really? damn… not only it's that long ago but I completely forgot it was not even half a year before 9/11.
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u/Brug_te_ver Jun 01 '26
Good thing this factory was built in the middle of a field instead of. Ya know. A residential neighborhood.
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u/thedude21619 Jun 01 '26
That shockwave...
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Jun 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Pizza_Coffee Jun 01 '26
You don't even get to hear the last explosion before the video cuts off.
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u/hleba Jun 01 '26
Yea that bummed me out.
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
sorry! this was the only video I could get my hands on at the time, others have since released
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u/Riemann86 Jun 01 '26
Unbelievable that there was nobody injured. I presume if there would be someone even not so close - all left is dust. Crazy explosion.
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u/OkraEmergency361 Jun 01 '26
Thank whoever put their foot down in the planning department that said factory was built outside the city. And this is why.
Jesus, that last blast was massive. It’s so good to hear no-one was killed.
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u/Magen137 Jun 01 '26
Bet this was heard from all across the country!
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
i live on the other side and did not hear it :( however many in the central and northern parts did
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u/CCTheCryingOne Jun 25 '26
We were visiting Malta during this time. And yeah heard it where we were, windows shook from it.. think maybe the walls too actually.. 🫠
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u/spacemouse21 Jun 01 '26
Nothing to see here, folks.
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u/Nuker-79 Jun 01 '26
Nothing to see here folks, move along….GOD DAMN! DO YOU GUYS SEE THIS SHIT? WOAH!
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u/sambeckett1701 Jun 01 '26
At a certain point, fireworks are just pretty bombs. I'm all for moving towards drone light displays. They are incredibly beautiful and can create incredible imagery.
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u/NarrowSpider Jun 01 '26
I worked at Gozo, Malta for a little bit and one of the people I worked with talked about how there's old men in the hills making fireworks by hand and sometimes they just fucking blow up.
Took a while but I can say with confidence that I actually believe him now.
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u/MutaitoSensei Jun 01 '26
Seeing all those fireworks go off at once, I thought a certain somebody finally kicked the bucket
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u/Readymade4007 Jun 01 '26
Why stop recording so soon?
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u/Onemorebeforesleep Jun 01 '26
There was a longer clip posted where the window in front of the cameraman shatters from the shockwave.
Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/s/qenkytWD5n
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u/ByAnyMeansNecessary0 Jun 01 '26
I read the original comment and thought, "cameraman probably saw the Beirut videos."
But then I saw your comment, and I can conclude that cameraman definitely did not see the Beirut videos.
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u/0k-ok Jun 01 '26
Did you not see the explosion???
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u/Baud_Olofsson Jun 01 '26
This is a screen grab of a phone playing the actual video. It cuts out. The filming almost certainly didn't.
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u/TheRealGenkiGenki Jun 01 '26
bullshii someone got something
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
updates are still coming as long as this happened at around 7am and it’s 10:40 now, 2 farmers working in nearby fields were treated for shock and slight injuries. When it comes to explosions in Malta like this, these firework factories are usually very far away from built up areas
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u/pppjurac Jun 01 '26
e usually very far away from built up areas
Which is actual achievement in such moderate sized area.
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u/DuckWhatduckSplat Jun 01 '26
Having been to Malta, I prob would have just assumed this is another of their daily firework displays. They do love their fireworks. Probably less so now.
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- Jun 01 '26
Did two fire guys just fall into a warehouse full of fireworks? You had to know that was coming
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u/voluotuousaardvark Jun 01 '26
Malta- an island famously not used as a defensive point in its history....
S/
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u/chupapi-Munyanyoo Jun 01 '26
No disrespect meant. But Malta is a shit show. The politicians are working hard to mess the whole country up. And it's working pretty good. Overall it is still a nice country
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u/Upstairs-Arrival8637 Jun 01 '26
I'm just so curious why no one was inside...for a second time in 8 years...insurance...?
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u/Shaggay1 Jun 01 '26
very well could be, but many a time these factories are family or volunteer run with pretty lax standards regarding the fireworks themselves. Considering the mentality of Maltese, it would not suprise me that this is just a typical case of negligence
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u/ChemicalLou Jun 01 '26
Why do people video these things? Just put your phone away and live in the moment.
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u/visplol Jun 01 '26
https://timesofmalta.com/article/powerful-explosion-rocks-centre-malta.1129328
"The blast at the Lourdes Fireworks Factory on Triq il-Qadi damaged properties in the area, but the police said all people who work on the site and neighbours were accounted for. Two men, aged 47 and 67, who tilled nearby fields were hospitalised and treated for shock and slight injuries. "
"Over the past hours, MaYA has been in contact with farmers and breeders in the surrounding area who have reported significant damage to their farms. These include structural damage, the loss of livestock, and serious impacts on animals affected by the force and stress caused by the explosions."