One dead, one seriously injured after explosion at Florida weapons plant
17 September 2018
One person died and another was airlifted to the hospital with critical injuries after an explosion at a non-lethal weapons manufacturing plant near Tallahassee, Florida. The explosion occurred on the morning of September 14 at the AMTEC Less-Lethal Systems plant in Perry, Taylor County.
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AMTEC President Barry Hafer said the employees involved in the explosion had worked for the company for six years. He said operations at the plant had been shut down indefinitely while the causes of the explosion were being investigated.
AMTEC is a subsidiary of the National Defense Corporation, which provides equipment for the law enforcement, corrections and military industries. According to its website, the company makes tactical equipment such as anti-drone rounds and devices such as stun grenades and aerosols that can be used for crowd control. About 50 people work at the plant.
The county sheriff’s office, the state fire marshall’s office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tallahassee Police Bomb Squad responded to the scene and determined there was no ongoing threat.