He was airlifted to hospital but, with severe burns all over his body, he could not be saved.
A further eight people were injured, including five children from the local middle school on a visit to the factory.
The incident took place at the Liebherr factory in Nenzing, Austria, at approximately 3.30pm local time, 17 April 2012.
Fire fighters tackled the blaze for more than an hour. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but appears to have taken place in the training booth between the dispatch hall and the paint shop, where teenage apprentices are trained to become painters.
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