UPDATE: 1 Dead, 4 Injured After Explosion at Army Ammunition Plant

   04.12.17

UPDATE: 1 Dead, 4 Injured After Explosion at Army Ammunition Plant

UPDATE: An explosion at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, just east of Kansas City, Missouri, killed one employee and left four others injured, according to the U.S. Army.

The blast reportedly occurred in a building where chemicals are mixed. The building was cleared and declared safe, allowing investigators to begin identifying what caused the explosion.

CBS News reports, Lt. Col. Eric Dennis, commander of the plant in Independence, and Jim Nickles, a vice president with Orbital ATK, a private contractor that manages the plant, said at a news conference all the nearly 1,800 employees were sent home after Tuesday’s explosion. They declined to release any further information on the victim or any other details at this time.

“Making ammunition is dangerous work and our employees risk their lives to protect the men and women in uniform,” Dennis said. “This is the sacrifice they make to support our country and I am humbled by the ultimate sacrifice this employee made today.”

The 77-year-old plant sits on a property with more than 400 other buildings and nine warehouses. The plant makes small-caliber ammunition, tests its reliability, and also operates the NATO test center.

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