A leak of liquid nitrogen at a food packaging factory in Gainesville, Georgia, killed at least six people on Thursday and left nine others hospitalized, with at least three in critical condition, according to emergency officials.
The authorities responded to a burn report after 10 am at Prime-Pak Foods Inc., and in 10 minutes they updated it to a hazardous materials response because of a large number of evacuees and several people “experiencing medical emergencies at the facility” , Zachary Brackett, a spokesman for the Hall County Fire Service, said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
Five people died at the facility. Another person died after being transported to the hospital.
Brackett said there are still no details on the injuries.
“No explosion has occurred,” he said, correcting previous reports.
Brackett said the cause of the leak was immediately unknown and was under investigation by the Hall County sheriff, the Georgia State Fire Department and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
One hundred and thirty people were taken to a church for evaluation by the medical team; a person was later taken to the hospital.
Four firefighters were hospitalized for “respiratory complaints” and at least five staff members were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Sean Couch, director of public relations for the Northeastern Georgia Health System, said one person died in the emergency department. Five are there in good condition. Another three were admitted to the critical care unit in critical condition.
One more person was on his way to the hospital at 1 pm, and authorities promised to update him on his injuries and those of anyone else at subsequent press conferences.
This is breaking news and will be updated. Please check back soon for more news.
