Blast at UK-owned arms factory

Wednesday, 10 October 2007

The Press Association

An explosion has rocked a British-owned weapons factory near Rome, killing one person and injuring 14 more.

The blast was at the Simmel Difesa plant in Colleferro, 35 miles south-east of Rome, police said.

The company, an Italian producer of medium and large calibre ammunition, was bought by the British-based Chemring Group earlier this year.

"Chemring is launching an immediate investigation into the nature of this incident," company spokesman Rupert Pittman said.

Simmel was the site of a 2005 sit-in by peace activists who accused it of producing cluster bombs. The company said that while it had the capability to make them, it never did.

Mr Pittman said Chemring had never produced cluster bombs and that the weapons had not been produced at Simmel under the current or previous ownership.