TONAWANDA, New York (AP) -- A 10,000-gallon (38,000-liter) tank undergoing maintenance exploded at a DuPont plant Tuesday, killing one worker and injuring another.
Workers were welding equipment connected to the empty tank outside the facility when the explosion occurred at about 10:45 a.m. (1545 GMT), according to a statement from DuPont. Company officials do not believe hazardous materials were released to the environment.
"The incident was limited to the equipment that was being worked on and the process involved has been shut down," the statement said.
The worker who died was employed by Mollenberg-Betz, a Buffalo mechanical contractor. His name was not released and the company declined to comment Tuesday. The injured worker's name and condition also were unavailable.
The Tonawanda plant, near Buffalo, employs about 700 workers and produces Corian countertops and sinks and Tedlar laminate film used in solar panels, according to DuPont's website and Gary Guralny, president of the United Steelworkers Local No. 6992, which represents unionized workers at the plant.
Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont said it was cooperating with police and fire officials and was conducting its own investigation.
After the explosion, the plant's alarm was sounded, leading workers to report to designated rallying points to be accounted for, DuPont spokesman David Hastings said. There was no evacuation, he said.
