Posted on 01/29/2003 11:49:22 AM PST by HAL9000
KINSTON, N.C. (AP) -- An explosion and fire rocked a pharmaceutical company Wednesday afternoon, and at least three people were critically injured, authorities said.
A man who lives near the West Pharmaceutical plant said debris flew in the air and the woods behind the plant were also on fire.
The explosion was reported at 1:27 p.m., said Lee Pearson of the Highway Patrol office in Williamston. The cause was not immediately known.
"We've got a lot of units out there,'' he said.
A spokeswoman at Lenoir Memorial Hospital said three people were at the hospital in critical condition with burns and more victims were expected.
Lee Edwards, who lives beside the plant, said debris from two 800-feet water towers flew in the air.
"All I can see I just the black smoke, just billowing up in the air. I mean, the whole sky is black,'' he said. "It exploded. It knocked me over.''
West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical delivery and medical devices. The company's Web site said its Kinston plant employs about 225 people.
A spokeswoman at the company's headquarters in Lionville, Pa., had no immediate comment.
Kinston is a city of about 24,000 in east-central North Carolina.
Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Deaths Feared in N.C. Plant Explosion
Provided By: The Associated Press
Last Modified: 1/29/2003 2:40:28 PM
KINSTON, N.C. (AP) -- An explosion and fire rocked a pharmaceutical company Wednesday afternoon, and at least three people were critically injured, authorities said.
A man who lives near the West Pharmaceutical plant said debris flew in the air and the woods behind the plant were also on fire.
The explosion was reported at 1:27 p.m., said Lee Pearson of the Highway Patrol office in Williamston. The cause was not immediately known.
"We've got a lot of units out there," he said.
A spokeswoman at Lenoir Memorial Hospital said three people were at the hospital in critical condition with burns and more victims were expected.
Lee Edwards, who lives beside the plant, said debris from two 800-feet water towers flew in the air.
"All I can see I just the black smoke, just billowing up in the air. I mean, the whole sky is black," he said. "It exploded. It knocked me over."
West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical delivery and medical devices. The company's Web site said its Kinston plant employs about 225 people.
A spokeswoman at the company's headquarters in Lionville, Pa., had no immediate comment.
Kinston is a city of about 24,000 in east-central North Carolina.
Fox News says the plant is near an airport. That could mean an accident if a plane was indeed involved.
Same thing that took out the rocket fuel plant in Henderson, Nevada back in the 80s. That was a fun explosion, even from 13 miles away. We thought it was a tactical nuke at first.
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