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.
"Tragically that was not the case," Mayor Craig Greenberg said in an update Wednesday morning.
Louisville Fire Chief Brian O'Neill said 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 mayor said Givaudan was invited to speak at Wednesday's press conference, however representatives for the company weren't present. Instead it shared a statement hours earlier expressing its condolences to the victims and their families.
"We are deeply saddened to share the news that two of our team members lost their lives in this accident. Several other individuals were also injured as a result. We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time," the statement read. "We are in the early stages of investigating the cause of this incident and are cooperating with first responders and supporting agencies. We appreciate their heroic response and send our thanks to those in the community who have shown their support throughout the day."
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.
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