CATAWBA — One person is dead, and another injured, Tuesday morning in an accident at the former AbitibiBowater plant in Catawba.
Investigators believe that two employees climbed into a decommissioned tank outside of the plant's main production area to perform maintenance at about 1:30 a.m., said Cotton Howell, director of York County Emergency Management.
Officials speculate that while the workers were in the tank, some type of chemical might have leaked in, Howell said. One of the workers was removed from the tank and is being treated for injuries.
The York County Coroner declared the other person dead. The victim's identity was not immediately available Tuesday morning.
The plant, which employs more than 700 people and is now called Resolute Forest Products, was fully operational, and no evacuations were ordered after the accident, Howell said. No other injuries were reported.
York County Emergency Management, as well as the plant's own accident investigation team, will probe the incident, a process that Howell warned might slowly unfold.
"The investigation is still in its infancy," he said.
In May, a ruptured pipe sprayed sodium hydroxide, a cooking chemical dubbed "white liquor," on four employees in the plant's pulping area. The workers, all of whom suffered serious burns, were flown to hospitals and burn centers for treatment.
In 2000, an explosion at the plant killed two contract welders who were connecting pipes to an outdoor tank when it exploded. Several other workers were also injured. That blast was reported as the worst accident in the plant’s then-40-year history.
Check back for more details on this developing story.
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