Two Dead Following Louisville Plant Explosion

Louisville, KY (WorkersCompensation.com) -- Hours after a factory exploded last week, first responders found the body of a worker they previously thought had been evacuated.

On Nov. 11, multiple workers were injured in the blast at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility. Originally, officials said no one was killed in the explosion, but later officials determined one worker died from their injuries at the hospital. Another was found in the rubble hours later.

The explosion happened around 3 p.m. and was felt as far away as Jeffersonville, Ind. Twelve people were taken to area hospitals. One was in critical condition and later died, officials said.

“We’d been told by the business that all employees were accounted for,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a news conference. “Tragically, that was not the case.”

Brian O’Neill, chief of the Louisville Fire Department, said firefighters searched everywhere they could search in the aftermath of the explosion and found nothing. Givaudan originally told local officials that all of the employees were accounted for, but that wound up being false O’Neill said. Firefighters went back into the rubble and searched again, where they located the second victim. O’Neill said it took nearly 3 ½ hours to get the victim out of the rubble.

“We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were lost and injured during this very difficult time,” representatives with Givaudan said.

The company said the confusion was due to “the extent of the explosion,” which forced them to evacuate workers to two different sites, a spokesperson told CNN.

“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,” spokesperson Jeff Peppet said. “When it became clear this was not the case, we immediately coordinated with EMS at the site who re-initiated search and rescue operations.”

City officials said their thoughts were with the victims.

“I want the families of the victims to know the hearts of all Louisvillians are with them, and this city stands united with them as they face the difficult days, weeks, months, and years ahead,” Greenberg said in a post on X.

Some of the injured were transported to local hospitals. Dr. Jason Smith, with the University of Louisville Hospital Trauma Center, told the media that the trauma center had received seven patients, one of whom was the first victim. The other six patients were either stable or were treated and released. Greenberg said the employees with the most serious injuries were taken to the trauma center and those with less serious injuries were taken to other area hospitals.

Hospital officials said those injured in the blast underwent decontamination procedures before being transported to the hospital. All of the injuries, Smith said, were related to the blast itself and not with any air quality or other chemical contamination issues. Officials said there have been no air quality issues noted since the blast and that firefighters and the city will continue to monitor for any toxins in the air.

As of Thursday, the cause of the blast was still unknown. Officials evacuated a block and a half of homes near the scene because of their blown out windows. The area also experienced a power outage, but power was restored shortly after the scene was cleared, officials said.

The Louisville Fire Department is investigating what it called a “large scale incident” involving hazardous materials. Officials told residents affected by the blast not to touch debris that remains until investigators have had time to look at it for clues. The fire department will be assisted by several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and OSHA.

“We don’t have any reason to believe at the moment that there was any type of nefarious activity,” said Shawn Morrow of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It’s not the first time the plant has been the site of an explosion.

In April 2003, according to a report from the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the facility had a fatal explosion while under different ownership. In that explosion, a “process vessel became over pressurized” at the DD Williamson & Company released 26,000 pounds of aqueous ammonia into the air and sent debris flying into the air.

That blast killed 44-year-old worker Louis Perry, and forced 26 residents to evacuate and 1,500 people to shelter in place. Authorities do not believe this week’s explosion involved the same materials as that blast.

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