Ethanol plant explosion kills one, injures four
20 April 2023
An explosion at an ethanol plant in Nebraska, US killed one worker and injured four others on April 17. The incident happened at a plant operated by Green Plains in the city of Wood River, around 160 miles (257km) west of Omaha.
Representative image: Shutterstock
In a statement, the Nebraska State Fire Marshal Agency said that when local firefighters arrived at the scene, they found a damaged liquid holding tank and no fire. A spokesperson for Green Plains told reporters that the explosion occurred while routine repairs were being conducted on the tank as part of the plant’s routine maintenance.
Green Plain, an ag-tech company that uses innovative processes to transform annually renewable crops into sustainable, high-value ingredients, said the Wood River plant was not operational at the time of the incident.
Emergency services said that one person was confirmed dead at the scene while one worker was taken to an Omaha hospital in a critical condition. Three other workers were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.