[1/3] A general view after a series of explosions at grain silos owned by agro-industrial cooperative C. Vale, in the city of Palotina, Parana State, Brazil, July 27, 2023. Brazil's Parana Firefighters/Handout via REUTERSSAO PAULO, July 27 (Reuters) - At least eight people have died, one was missing and nearly a dozen others wounded after a grain silo explosion on Wednesday at an agricultural co-operative in southern Brazil, the government of Parana state said on Thursday. The blast occurred at the C.Vale co-operative in the small town of Palotina, about 600 km (370 miles) from the state's capital Curitiba. Experts say grain dust particles are highly combustible and can cause fires or explosions in confined spaces such as grain storage facilities. Fire Department Official Manoel Vasco said dogs were helping in the search of the missing worker potentially trapped under a pile of grains.

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Persons: C.Vale, Jose Ricken, Ricken, Manoel Vasco, Carlos Favaro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Darci Piana, Leonardo Benassatto, Ana Mano, Gabriel Araujo, Christina Fincher, Bernadette Baum, Alison Williams Organizations: Vale, Brazil's, Brazil's Parana Firefighters, REUTERS SAO PAULO, Fire, Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Palotina, Parana State, Brazil, Brazil's Parana, Parana, Curitiba . Parana, Paraguay