GAINESVILLE, GA, (AP) – A leak of liquid nitrogen at a poultry plant in northeastern Georgia killed six people on Thursday, and several people were taken to hospital, officials said.
At least three of the injured at the Prime Pak Foods plant in Gainesville were reported in critical condition.
Poultry plants rely on refrigeration systems that can include liquid nitrogen. Firefighters, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the state fire commissioner were investigating the cause of the leak.
“It was a leak of unknown cause that has occurred in the system here,” said Zach Brackett, head of the Hall County Fire Division. “We still have a lot of information that we’re trying to gather from the scene.”
A crowd of workers gathered outside the plant when firefighters responded to the leak Thursday morning.
“Once the units arrived, they found a large contingent of employees they had evacuated, along with several victims who were in that crowd who were also experiencing medical emergencies around the facility,” Brackett told reporters at a television release.
Beth Downs, a spokeswoman for the Northeast Georgia Health System, said five people died at the plant and one person died in the emergency room.
Nine injured patients were in the hospital, three in critical condition, health system spokesman Sean Couch said. Five were treated in emergencies and were in good condition. One was still on his way to the emergency room when Couch spoke.
At least four firefighters were injured and taken to hospital with what Brackett called “respiratory complaints.”
Brackett said about 130 workers were taken by bus to a nearby church where they were examined for injuries. Couch said one person was taken to the hospital from there.
Hall County school officials said students remained safe inside a nearby elementary school during the emergency, but the leak was contained and not airborne. On Thursday afternoon the shelter was raised in order. Approximately 2.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) of a road running in front of the plant and school was closed.
Prime Pak Foods merged with Foundation Food Group, a company that takes raw chicken and transforms it into products such as individual chicken fingers and chicken slices for restaurants and food service operations. The CEO of the company did not immediately return any phone calls for comments.
Gainesville is the center of Georgia’s poultry industry, which is the largest in the country, with thousands of employees working for processing plants.