Authorities in Geismar, Louisiana say one person is dead and another person is missing and presumed dead in an explosion at a petrochemical plant. About 300 workers were evacuated from the Williams Geismar Olefins plant and about 49 people were removed from the scene in ambulances. The severity of the injuries remains unclear.
The explosion occurred Thursday morning around 8:37 a.m. and sparked a blaze at a boiler. The fire was quickly brought under control by emergency responders. “The only burning is from the flare at this time. They are assessing the facility and still don’t know the cause of the fire or the explosion at this time,” a spokesperson for Louisiana’s department of environmental quality told reporters.
Local and state police are monitoring the scene along with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Plant officials said the well-being of their workers is the first priority right now. “We are currently focused on the safety and well-being of our employees, contractors and the local community who are responding to the situation. Our emergency-response crews are thoroughly trained to respond to these types of incidents and are diligently performing their work with their first priority being the safety and well-being of people in and around the area. We are in the process of accounting for all personnel. Injuries have been reported, the number and extent of those injuries is not known at this point,” the company said in a statement.
The plant, which is located about 30 miles outside of Baton Rouge, produces ethylene and propylene.
###
Click here for more Law News
