Ath : District of Hainaut

Ath (Dutch: Aat) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1st, 2005 Ath had a total population of 26,584. The total area is 126.95 km² which gives a population density of 209.41 inhabitants per km².
Ath is known as the “City of Giants” after the “Ducasse” festivities which take place every year on the fourth weekend in August. Huge figures representing David and Goliath are paraded through the streets, and Goliath’s wedding and his famous fight with David are re-enacted.

July 30, 2004 explosions

The Ghislenghien industrial park near Ath was the scene of one of Belgium’s worst ever industrial disasters on July 30, 2004. Around 8:30am local time, workers constructing a new factory for abrasives firm Diamant Boart (a subsidiary of the Electrolux Group [1], [2]) reported a strong smell of gas. It is believed the gas was escaping from a high-pressure underground pipeline conveying natural gas from Zeebrugge to France, operated by gas transportation company Fluxys. Firefighters were soon on the scene and were attempting to clear the area when at least two explosions occurred at around 9:00am. The strongest of these demolished the partly-built Diamant Boart structure, and fires were started in several other buildings. The official death-toll has risen to 23, with over 120 injured. Five volunteer firemen and one police officer were among the dead.

The cause of the leak has not yet been ascertained. After the explosion, damages by a construction machine were discovered on the exploded part of the pipeline and the adjacent parts. Probably these were the result of construction works a few weeks before the explosion. The pipeline probably ruptured completely on July 30, 2004 when operator Fluxys raised the pressure.