Two men were killed following an explosion and fire at a former steelworks site in Teesside.
Fire crews and a hazardous area team attended the site in South Bank, Redcar, at around 2. 15 pm on Thursday after a blaze broke out on the premises.
On Friday, police confirmed that two men had died in the incident.
Detective Superintendent Tariq Ali said: “We can now confirm that there have sadly been two fatalities as a result of an incident at the former SSI site in South Bank yesterday.
“The families of those two men have been informed and our thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time.”
The site was cleared by emergency services on Thursday, who declared the blaze a “major incident”.
Officers said the Health and Safety Executive had been informed of the fire.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said it was a “terrible and tragic day”.
“It is impossible to imagine the pain and distress which this news will have brought the loved ones of those involved, “he said in a statement on Friday.
” All of the staff who work at the South Tees Development Corporation site are deeply shocked and sorry for this loss. “
He added that all works on site had been suspended as investigations continue.
Witness John Coates told Teesside Live he was driving past when he heard a “loud crash and booming” noise.
“It sounded like something had come crashing down, like lightning,” he said.
“I walked towards the compound to see what was happening and large plumes of black smoke could be seen coming from one of the chimneys. “
SSI bought the site in 2011 but went into liquidation in October 2015, with thousands of jobs lost.
Earlier this year, a deal was agreed to transfer half the dev elopable land on the site to the South Tees Development Corporation, an enterprise promoting economic development in the Tees Valley.
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