ANKARA

A factory of French cement giant Lafarge in France's Bouches-du-Rhône department was attacked by environmentalists, local media reported Sunday.

Around 200 activists stormed the La Malle factory site late Saturday, causing significant damage to facilities, vehicles and buildings, said French news broadcaster BFM TV, citing local sources and Lafarge.

The environmentalists in a statement said the reason behind the attack was the air pollution caused by the factory.

However, François Petry, managing director of the cement manufacturer, denied the environmentalists’ allegations and insisted that the factory, like all of the company’s plants, uses state-of-art environmentally friendly technology.

The factory could remain out of operation for several weeks due to the damage caused.

An investigation was launched by the public prosecutor in Marseille.

Lafarge has filed a complaint and is hopeful that the perpetrators of the attack will be identified quickly.