Re-opening ILVA 'death furnace' nixed

(ANSA) - Taranto, June 29 - A prosecutor Monday rejected a request by the ILVA steel plant to re-open a furnace in which a 35-year-old worker was killed by a jet of molten metal earlier this month, judicial sources said.
    In all 10 people are under investigation on suspected manslaughter charges in connection with the death of Alessandro Moricella, who was measuring temperatures at the furnace when a blast ripped through his protective clothing, melted his helmet and frazzled 90% of his body.
    The furnace was sealed up at the request of a state prosecutor investigating the death and Judge Martino Rosati rejected a request that it be re-opened for use.
    Authorities gave ILVA 60 days to adopt measures to prevent other staff being exposed to deadly molten metal.
    The ILVA plant in the southern city of Taranto, one of the biggest in Europe, is at the centre of a long-running row pitting job needs against cancer-causing environmental woes.
    The government is funding an expensive clean-up to save jobs at the plant, Taranto's biggest employer.