The family of a Scot who was killed in an explosion at a former steelworks yesterday said he would be “greatly missed”.
John Mackay, 49, from Edinburgh, and Tommy Williams, 65, from Warwickshire, both died in the accident at the ex-SSI site in Redcar, Teesside, on September 19.
John’s family said he was “much loved by his wife, parents, sisters, children, stepchildren and grandchildren and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.
“We are immensely grateful for the support we have received and take comfort in hearing how popular a man John was.”
It is believed the men were working on pipes at height on a cherry-picker at the time of the blast. Fire crews later put out flames coming from the blast area.
Tommy’s wife, Bobbie, said he was “a dearly loved husband, father and grandfather”.
SSI bought the site in 2011 but went into liquidation in 2015, weeks before the steelworks stopped production after 98 years.
Earlier this year, a deal was agreed to transfer half the land to the South Tees Development Corporation.
