Two people have died and around 30 were required to undergo examination and treatment at the hospital as a result of a hydrogen sulphide leak that occurred at the Catalyst Refiners chemical plant in Nitro, West Virginia today.
This is reported by the state authorities as well as the American newspaper The New York Times, which says emergency responders were called to the scene at half past ten this morning local time.
According to the spokesmen of The Ames Goldsmith Corporation, which operates the Catalyst plant, two workers died there, and the third has been hospitalized for treatment.
Bound to one building
The company reports that fumes from the hydrogen sulphide caught fire and that the incident was confined to one building in the plant’s operational area.
Ben Salango, a spokesman for Kanawha County, where the town of Nitro is located, said at a press conference today that the plant had been closed and the accident occurred in connection with the completion of the closure.
According to dr. Tom Takubo, a doctor at the Thomas Memorial Hospital, initially there were between 30 and 45 people in the area where the impact of the accident could be seen, and they all went through the detoxification procedure that the regulations of the center require. Some were then sent home, while others were sent to hospital for safety.
The New York Times (subscription required)
