Thirty-one people were injured and seven hospitalised after a fire erupted inside Formula One team Williams` garage after its driver Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix.
|Last Updated: May 14, 2012, 09:03 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Barcelona: Thirty-one people were injured and seven hospitalised after a fire erupted inside Formula One team Williams` garage after its driver Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix.
Governing body FIA said 31 people were treated by Catalunya Circuit medical staff with seven of those flown out to a variety of hospitals to receive treatment yesterday.
Catalonia`s regional government said in a statement that one of the persons was airlifted to Barcelona hospital with serious burn wounds while the rest were being treated at local hospital for smoke inhalation.
Williams confirmed a fuel leak caused the problem, with four of its staff treated for injuries. Three of those remained in hospital.
F1 team Caterham said in a statement that four team employees were among those taken to the Catalunya Circuit medical center to be examined, one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues.
The fire erupted soon after Maldonado and the team had taken the traditional victory photo in front of the team garage with members of all teams close by rushing to help contain the blaze.
"The FIA is collaborating closely with the Spanish authorities investigating this incident," FIA said.
Williams team principle Frank Williams, who is a paraplegic, was rushed from his wheelchair as he was giving a celebratory speech for a first F1 victory in eight years that coincided with the longtime team principal`s 70th birthday celebrations.
A black, acrid haze came flowing out of the British team`s garage, filling the paddock and pit lane.
Mechanics and circuit firefighters were quickly on the scene to put out the fire with an ambulance on the scene treating one person for what appeared to be smoke inhalation.
Williams driver Bruno Senna`s car was torched by the blaze, while Maldonado`s car was alongside fellow podium finishers cars away from the Williams garage.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.