LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two people are dead after a factory explosion in Louisville on Tuesday. One of the victims was found buried under rubble hours after the company told officials all of its workers had been accounted for.
Several people were injured in the explosion but the company, Givaudan Sense Colour, which creates the caramel coloring used in soft drinks, told first responders at the scene all of its employees had been accounted for.
Now, Givaudan tells WHAS11 News it was a "miscommunication" that led to the late discovery of the body of an employee killed by the blast:
"Plant leaders used clock-in information immediately after the incident to establish site headcount. Due to the extent of the explosion, the typical evacuation site was unavailable and the team used two alternative locations. As a result, there was a miscommunication between the teams at the two locations when cross-referencing the staff list with those being transported to local hospitals. This initially led us to believe that all individuals were accounted for. When it became clear this was not the case, we immediately coordinated with EMS at the site who re-initiated search and rescue operations."
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This miscommunication caused confusion among emergency personnel. However, Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said in a news conference on Wednesday that crews searched the building in every place that was safe to do so.
"Even after we're getting reports that everybody had been accounted for --we're going to double check everything that we can. At that point, every place that we could have safely searched had been checked," he explained.
O'Neill said firefighters went back inside the collapsed structure around 8 p.m. after learning not everyone was accounted for.
"As we secured the area, it was made evident to us there was another person who was not found. Our firefighters got back in there, searched an area in the center of the rubble and found where he was located," O'Neill said. "It took several hours to get to the victim and dig them out, but we wanted to make sure the family had closure."
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, but it's not the first incident at the factory. In 2003, one person was killed at the plant after a catastrophic vessel failure, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
Givaudan officials say it is too early to determine whether or not the facility will reopen, and when that would be.
"We are prioritizing the well-being of all those affected by this incident and their families," Givaudan said in a statement. "It is too early to comment on anything further related to the facility."