Officials release new details on events leading up to deadly Gainesville plant leak
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released new information Sunday detailing some events leading up to the deadly Gainesville plant leak.
At least six people were killed on following the chemical leak at a Gainesville food processing plant on January 28, officials said. Four firefighters were also had to be hospitalized. Four firefighters were also had to be hospitalized.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office later identified the victims as: 45-year-old Jose DeJesus Elias-Cabrera of Gainesville; 35-year-old Corey Alan Murphy of Clermont; 28-year-old Nelly Perez-Rafael of Gainesville; 41-year-old Saulo Suarez-Bernal of Dawsonville; 38-year-old Victor Vellez of Gainesville; and 28-year-old Edgar Vera-Garcia of Gainesville.
New details from the CBS investigation released on Sunday revealed that, "The Foundation Food Group performs routine maintenance on the Messer-owned equipment. The plant had been experiencing unresolved operational issues on the chicken conveyor that appear to have resulted in the accidental released of liquid nitrogen in the flash freezing bath."
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A frantic 911 call was made by a plant employee just after the liquid nitrogen line erupted at Foundation Food Group. In just seconds, five people were dead in a fog of vaporizing liquid nitrogen. A sixth worker died at the hospital hours later.
Dispatcher: "At this time is everybody safe and out of danger?"
Caller: "I don’t know. Is he breathing? Two people not breathing, I got one barely breathing."
Dispatcher: "How many patients are there?"
Caller: "At least four."
Dispatcher: "At least four?"
The investigation board also said Sunday in a statement sent to FOX 5:
"The CSB has information that Line No. 4 was shut down in the morning of the incident. The shutdown was due to operational issues on the conveyor line. Foundation Food Group maintenance personnel reported the computerized measuring system indicated a low liquid level in the immersion bath used flash freeze the chicken product."
Grieving family and friends laid flowers and lit candles during a prayer vigil on January 31 to honor those killed inside the Foundation Foods facility.
MORE: Community holds prayer vigil in remembrance of Gainesville chemical leak victims
"The reason we are here is to prevent this from happening again," Katherine Lemos with the Chemical Safety Board said.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board will continue to investigate.
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