Two workers were killed and 28 others injured in explosions and an ensuing fire which broke out Wednesday in an edible oil factory in the 10th of Ramadan City in Sharqiya governorate, 55 km northeast of Cairo, the official MENA news agency reported.

The injured sustained moderate to serious burns, said the report.

Witnesses said the blasts in the Arima company for food stuffs and edible oils broke out at about 3:30 PM (12:30 GMT), leading to a big fire.

Some 34 fire engines rushed to the scene. Black thick smoke could be seen billowing into the air and walls of buildings some 20meters away from the factory could be felt very hot due to the fire.

A worker who escaped from the fire said the explosions started from a refinery workshop and caused fire which quickly spread across the factory.

"Workers fled in all directions and I'm sure some people were killed and injured," he said.

Nassef Lamie, an engineer and owner of a nearby plant who was familiar with the burning factory, told Xinhua that the factory was under construction for expansion and the explosions were caused bya weld accident.

"The sparks which were made by an electric welder ignited oil near the refinery furnace, triggering the explosions and the fire," he said.

At about 7:00 PM (16:00 GMT), the fire was largely under control, but the factory was completely destroyed, said witnesses. Sales manger of the company al-Sayyed Bassuni was quoted by MENA as saying that the factory suffered from a huge loss. He rule out the possibility that the fire could be criminally motivated, saying "it is not deliberate."

Fire fighting units were still trying to extinguish the fire, he added.

Sharqiya Governor Yahya Abdel Hameed asked for help from the Oil Ministry, which has specialized units in fighting such a huge fire.

The factory, invested by a Yemeni and an Egyptian, was visited by President Hosni Mubarak in 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2005)