Explosion at soybean crushing facility injures several workers in US
13 December 2022
An explosion at a facility in the town of Marengo, Iowa injured multiple workers on December 8. The blast happened at a plant owned by soybean crushing company Heartland Crush and resulted in a fire breaking out.
Representative image: Shutterstock
The Heartland Crush facility, located around 80 miles (129km) east of Des Moines, crushes soybeans to produce soybean meal and oil. The explosion happened at around 11:15 local time and caused a fire to break out. Several fire departments and ambulance personnel from multiple counties responded to the incident, local officials said.
Five people were taken to the University of Iowa hospital while an unknown number of individuals were transported to local hospitals by personal vehicles. Two of the injured are in serious conditions. Officials said that 30 people had been working in the plant when the explosion happened.
Fire crews continued to battle the blaze throughout the day and night until it was extinguished at around 04:00 on December 9. Local residents had been told to stay indoors and closes windows as a precaution. Fire officials said that significant structural damage had occurred and that engineers were on standby to assess the facility.
The cause of the incident remains unknown, however an investigation has been opened.
More information...