France: Explosion at gunpowder chemical plant injures 8

PARIS (AP) — Local officials in southwest France say an explosion at a plant that produces a component of ammunition injured eight people, one of them seriously. The factory in the town of Bergerac specializes in making nitrocellulose, a highly flammable chemical compound. The local deputy prefect said the cause of Wednesday’s was “obviously internal” to the plant but that there would be an investigation to pinpoint it. Officials say the explosion caused a fire, and about 60 firefighters were deployed to the site and extinguished the blaze by Wednesday afternoon.