Two Dead After Explosion at Montebello Distillery: Investigation Underway

Petit-Bourg – 01.08.2026: One week after the serious explosion at the Montebello Distillery in Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, the cause of the accident has still not been publicly clarified. Two employees were killed in the explosion of a boiler on Friday, July 24. Several other people were injured. Authorities and investigators continue to work on reconstructing the sequence of events in the industrial accident and determining possible responsibilities.

Immediately after the accident, services of the Guadeloupe prefecture initially reported one death and 17 injuries, including four serious injuries. In the following days, another injured worker died of his injuries. This brought the death toll to two. The Montebello Distillery is located in the municipality of Petit-Bourg on Basse-Terre and produces agricultural rum from sugarcane juice.

Official communications refer to the explosion of a boiler. The technical cause that may have led to the incident has not yet been disclosed. Nor are there currently any final, confirmed findings regarding possible prior safety deficiencies, the condition of the facility, or individual work procedures. These issues can only be assessed once the technical and judicial investigations have been completed.

According to reports by local media, the victims’ relatives are demanding a full investigation. In particular, the issue is whether risks had been identified before July 24 and whether safety requirements had been adequately implemented. The families expect clarity about the circumstances in which the two employees died. Only limited publicly confirmed details about the investigative steps have been released so far.

The distillery is an employer with a long history in Guadeloupe’s sugarcane and rum industry. According to company data in the national business register, Montebello most recently employed between 20 and 49 workers. The accident therefore affects a business whose production and employment are of local economic importance to Petit-Bourg. The site remains under close observation by the relevant authorities following the incident.

The ongoing investigations are focusing on the technical conditions behind the explosion, the company’s safety organization, and whether any regulations were violated. Criminal liability has not been established. The findings of experts and the judiciary will determine whether the accident results in legal or administrative consequences. What is known so far is that the July 24 explosion claimed two lives and seriously injured other people.