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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.

1 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 GroupElectrolux is a Swedish company that produces kitchen, cleaning and outdoor appliances for both home and professional use under a variety of well known brand names. It has 22 factories in Europe and it holds a 25% share of the household appliances market [1], [2]) reported a strong smell of gasNatural gas is a gas produced by the anaerobic decay of organic material. It is usually found in oil fields and natural gas fields, but is also generated in swamps and marshes (where it is called swamp gas or marsh gas , in landfill sites, and during dige. It is believed the gas was escaping from a high-pressure underground pipelinePipelines transport gases and liquids in common practice, and have been used to transport solid capsules through pneumatic tubes. Gas and liquid commodities transported through pipelines include: Natural gas Oil Sewage Slurry Water Accidents Pipelines con conveying natural gas from ZeebruggeZeebrugge ( French: Zeebruges is a harbor-town at the coast of Belgium in Bruges. The harbor is important for ferries to the United Kingdom, import and export of cars and the marine. There is an expressway to Bruges which connects Zeebrugge to the Europea to FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., operated by gas transportation company FluxysFluxys is a Belgium-based company, mainly acting as a natural gas operator. In 2004, it employed around 850 people and its infrastructure comprised about 3,700 km of pipelines and a terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium. The company is listed on the Euronext Bru. FirefighterA firefighter sometimes called a fireman is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. The fire service also known as the fire brigade or fire department in some countries, iss 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.