Mechanic injured in oil barrel explosion

A YOUNG mechanic was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after an oil barrel exploded at his work yesterday.

The 24-year-old man was left seriously injured after the industrial accident at Pitmachie Garage in Aberdeenshire.

Emergency crews were called to the scene by his colleagues shortly before 3pm. He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The garage is based on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road.

Yesterday a member of staff said the injured worker was a mechanic at the garage.

The woman, who did not want to be named, added: "There has been an accident and one of the employees has been taken away by air ambulance. The man was a mechanic, I wasn't there myself so I'm not entirely sure what happened."

The staff member said there were just three employees at the garage, but no-one else was hurt in the incident. Local residents Willie and Janet Keith are thought to have owned Pitmackie Garage for around 15 years. Neighbours said the garage was always busy repairing cars and carrying out maintenance work for villagers.

Local councillor Bryan Stuart, who lives in Pitmackie, said: "We heard a very loud bang. I thought it was a gas cylinder, but it was difficult to tell."