Liquid nitrogen mishap kills 6 in Georgia

The local fire department responded to a chemical leak at Prime Pak Foods in Gainesville, Ga., on Thursday morning. Liquid nitrogen killed five people at the plant, and one more died in the emergency room, said Beth Downs, a spokesperson for Northeast Georgia Health System. Multiple others were hospitalized for injuries, officials said, and four firefighters were hurt. Buses transported 130 workers to a nearby church, according to Hall County Fire Department Division Chief Zach Brackett.

What happened? Firefighters, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Georgia fire marshal are investigating the cause, Brackett said. Poultry plants’ refrigeration systems sometimes use liquid nitrogen.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about why meat packing plants were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic.