Omaha Plant Explosion: Two Dead, All Others Accounted For

UPDATE – Omaha officials have stated that two people are dead as a result of the Omaha plant explosion Monday morning. All other workers have been accounted for, and reports say that at least 10 individuals have sustained serious injuries.

An explosion brought down part of the International Nutrition plant, an animal feed plant, in Omaha, Nebraska Monday morning according to an earlier report by The Inquisitr. Interim Fire Chief Bernard Kanger said at the time of the accident that it “was a very dangerous situation and continues to be very dangerous.”

According to ABC News, Kanger has noted that there were no hazardous chemicals at the plant during the time of the explosion, and no cause has yet to be determined. There were a total of 38 individuals working during the time of the explosion. Solid numbers were hard to come by most of the day because original reports stated that of the 38 workers, there were multiple fatalities, and a number of individuals reported missing.

Employees and witnesses have started speaking out to different news agencies regarding their experiences during the Omaha plant explosion. Many of them reported hearing popping and cracking noises before either seeing parts of the building collapse or seeing fires break out.

“I just heard a crack pop and big ball of fire, and I just took off running when I heard the first crack,” worker Jamar White told CNN affiliate KETV. “That’s all I could do was get out of the way and make sure I was OK.”

According to CNN, another employee told KETV that a ceiling collapsed:

“I heard the explosion and stuff started falling, so I ducked for cover,” Nate Lewis said. “It was pitch black in there. All I could see was fire. I had to feel my way out of the place. I couldn’t see anything.”

Nate Lewis, 21, told ABC News that he was on the first floor when he heard the explosion. “I was a production line worker, although I don’t know if I want to be that anymore,” said Lewis, who has been working at International Nutrition for about four months now. He told reporters that the building went dark, so he had to use light from his cellphone to make his way outside.

There was significant structural damage that halted search and rescue missions throughout the day. As stated earlier, all 38 employees have now been accounted for. The names of those both injured and deceased have not been released to the public at this time.

[Image via Wikimedia]