Explosion at Intel's Kiryat Gat chip plant leaves three workers seriously injured, prompts hazardous-materials alert

Three workers were seriously injured Wednesday in an explosion and fire at Intel's semiconductor plant in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, emergency services said.

Police said a gas cylinder explosion was the initial suspected cause, although investigators had not confirmed what triggered the incident. The three injured workers were taken to Soroka Medical Center, including two who required resuscitation before regaining a pulse.

Eight firefighting and rescue teams, including hazardous-materials specialists, were deployed as authorities investigated a possible chemical leak. Ynet reported that nitrogen trifluoride, a gas used in semiconductor manufacturing, was involved in the incident.

Firefighters later brought the source of the fire under control, while environmental and emergency teams continued monitoring the site. Authorities had not confirmed the extent of any hazardous-material release.

Intel's Kiryat Gat complex is one of the company's key manufacturing sites in Israel and includes Fab 28, which produces processors and other semiconductor chips.