An explosion at a food coloring factory in Louisville, Kentucky, damaged homes and other businesses in the area, killing two people and leaving at least 11 hospitalized.
The explosion occurred at the Givaudan Sense Color factory on Tuesday afternoon, prompting a “shelter-in-place” order for the surrounding area due to concerns about an ammonia leak, ABC News reported. reported:
Aerial footage of the damaged facility showed much of the factory collapsed, killing two workers and injuring several others.
“We are deeply saddened to share the news that two team members lost their lives in this accident,” Givaudan Sense Color said in a statement to the same media.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) called the loss “heartbreaking” in a post on X.
“I would be happy if everyone would participate. [my wife] “Brittany and I prayed for their families and the entire community,” he wrote.
ABC said two of the 11 people injured were seriously injured and four were still hospitalized as of Wednesday morning. All of the injured were also factory employees.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) also mourned the death of the employee. I'm saying“This is a very sad and tragic incident. These two people who died were going to work like a normal day to provide for their families, and then the unthinkable happened.”
Residents in the area were initially ordered to shelter in place due to concerns about a possible ammonia leak, but the order was later lifted after no ammonia was detected.
Carly Johnson was at home with her husband and 4-year-old son when she heard a “crazy, loud bang” and felt the house shake. said Associated Press.
“It felt like a bomb. It was very scary,” she said, describing how objects on the wall started shaking and falling.
Amanda Strecker, who lived near the factory until 2022, told the outlet that she had shared concerns with local authorities about the “smell of chemicals in the air.”
“When we lived there, we had a feeling something was going to happen. It was just a matter of time,” she said. “We had a lot of problems with the smell of chemicals in the air and we called the local environmental office, but when they came out they couldn't find anything.”
In 2003, an explosion occurred at the same facility, killing one worker.
“Federal investigators determined that the tank's pressure relief valve had been removed when the company moved the tank to its Louisville plant in 1989,” the Associated Press reported. “According to the Chemical Safety Commission report, the tank exploded because it did not have a safety valve.''
Officials said the cause of the explosion was under investigation.
