Hima Cement suspends operation after fire kills three

Operations at the Hima Cement factory (Holcim group) in Kasese district in western Uganda have been suspended following a fire that broke out at the premises on Saturday afternoon and left three staff members dead. Eight others were rushed to hospital in critical condition.

"Our operations at the Hima plant have been stopped as we take stock of this incident and to ensure that the fire is fully contained. The health and safety of our employees and all stakeholders remains our number one priority," Hima Cement's CEO, Jean-Michel Pons, said in a statement. 

The CEO said preliminary investigations indicated that a team of staff were doing installation works at a light diesel oil tank inside the factory before the fire broke out.  

"What we know so far is that a team staff was doing installation works at the light diesel oil tank when the incident happened. Our team is working with the authorities to further investigate the incident and to ascertain the course of events," Mr Pons added.

Those who sustained injuries were taken to Kilembe Hospital in Kasese district.