A liquid nitrogen leak at a poultry plant in northeast Georgia has killed six people and sent others to a hospital. According to Associated Press reports, at least three of those injured are in critical condition. The leak occurred at a Prime Pak Foods plant in Gainesville.

“It was a leak of unknown cause that has occurred in the system here,” Hall County Fire Department Division Chief Zach Brackett said. “We still have a lot of information we’re trying to gather from the scene.”

The AP reports that firefighters responded to the leak and found a number of employees in the parking lot, with several experiencing “medical emergencies.” Five people died at the scene, and another person died in an emergency room. Fire officials did not disclose if they were employees of the facility or not. Ten other patients were transported to the hospital, with three in critical condition and five in fair condition. The status of the other person was unknown. About 130 employees were bussed to an off-site location and check for injuries. The Gainesville Police Department announced that the cause of the leak was unknown and under investigation.

In October 2020, Prime Pak Foods and Victory Processing Inc. merged into Foundation Food Group Inc., a further processor of chicken. The company has not released a statement about the accident.

Source: Associated Press