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SYDNEY - The bodies of two men killed in a massive blast at a Hunter Valley winery yesterday have been recovered, and the condition of another man badly burned in the blast has improved.
The explosion, possibly caused by welding sparks igniting ethanol fumes, tore off part of the roof of the main wine plant at Drayton's Family Wines, at Pokolbin.
Assistant winemaker William Rikard-Bell, 27, survived the blast but suffered serious burns to up to 80 per cent of his body.
Mr Rikard-Bell was airlifted in a critical condition to the specialist burns unit at Sydney's Concord Hospital amid grave fears for his life.
However, overnight, a Concord Hospital spokesman said Mr Rikard-Bell's condition was listed as stable.
Winery owner and head winemaker Trevor Drayton, 52, and an as-yet unidentified second man, understood to be a welding contractor, were killed by the explosion.
Police say their bodies were retrieved last night after engineers declared the plant safe to enter.
Investigators will return to the guarded site today.
- AAP
