A victim of the ICL factory disaster in Glasgow has won an out-of-court settlement after suffering horrific injuries in the tragedy.

Lawyers acting on behalf of an injured victim said they had secured an undisclosed compensation sum in an out-of-court settlement on his behalf.

Falkirk-based firm Russel and Aitken said the victim's identity was not being revealed, but a spokesman said he had almost lost his life in the "devastating" accident.

Nine people died and 33 people were injured, many of them pulled from the rubble by rescue crews in the blast at the ICL/Stockline Plastics factory in Glasgow in 2004.

Raymond Mallon, solicitor at Russel and Aitken, said: "Our client was incredibly resilient despite the severity of his injuries. His claim was realistic, and he was compensated for his personal injury, including necessary modifications to his home, and services to enable him to receive the appropriate ongoing care.

"ICL admitted liability for this claim and, while the claimant received full pay from his employer (ICL) throughout, he was awarded based on his open and honest account of what he needed and why, as a result of the devastating accident in which he almost lost his life."

The settlement, thought to be one of several which have been concluded, comes as families are still waiting for answers following a public inquiry last year.

The inquiry was held at Maryhill's Community Central Hall, yards from the scene of the tragedy, and was set up to examine the circumstances of the blast. Families had long campaigned for an inquiry which finally got under way last year.

Scottish TUC assistant secretary Ian Tasker was involved in helping families set up a support group. He said: "I hope for the individual concerned the settlement will be welcomed to make adjustments in their life, but it is whether that compensation allows him to move on in life or not as the issues with the trauma of it all still exists not just for the those involved in the Maryhill tragedy, but for any industrial accident.

"However, for those involved, compensation can often be the last thing on families' minds who still want answers and justice."

Local MSP Patricia Ferguson said: "It just underlines the fact that, almost five years on, people are still struggling to get justice in terms of compensations or answers to what actually happened on the day or why it happened."