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A liquid nitrogen leak at a food packaging plant in Gainesville, Georgia, killed at least six people Thursday and left nine others hospitalized, at least three of them in critical condition, according to emergency authorities.
Authorities responded to a report of burns after 10 a.m. at Prime-Pak Foods Inc. and updated it within 10 minutes to a hazardous materials response due to large numbers of workers being evacuated and several people “who are having medical emergencies around the facility,” Zachary Brackett, a spokesperson for the Hall County Fire Department, said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Five people died in the facility. Another person died after being taken to hospital.
Brackett said there were no details of the injuries yet.
“No explosion occurred,” he said, correcting earlier information.
Brackett said the cause of the leak was immediately unknown and was under investigation by the Hall County Sheriff, the Georgia State Fire Marshal and the Safety and Health Administration at work.
One hundred and thirty people were taken to a church for assessment by medical staff; one person was then taken to hospital.
Four firefighters were hospitalized for assessment of “respiratory complaints” and at least five staff members were transported to the medical center in northeast Georgia.
Sean Couch, director of public relations for the Northeast Georgia Health System, said one person died in the emergency room. Five are there in fairly good condition. Three others were admitted in critical condition to the intensive care unit.
Another person was on his way to the hospital at 1 p.m., and authorities promised an update on their injuries, and those of anyone else, in subsequent press conferences.
This is breaking news and will be updated. Please come back soon for more news.
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