Georgia Tyson Foods plant explosion kills 1, leaves others severely burned

An explosion at a Tyson Foods plant in Georgia has left one woman dead and multiple others with severe burns, according to media outlets. The explosion partially collapsed one side of the building.

Officers responded to reports of an explosion at the Tyson Foods plant at 7220 US 19 in Camilla, Georgia, early Friday, according to WALB. By 2:50 a.m., the Fire Department had extinguished the flames resulting from the explosion.

The explosion claimed the life of 61-year-old Bajarma Batozhatov from Las Vegas, Nevada, WALB reported. An unknown number of individuals sustained severe burns.

Camilla Fire Chief Jamie Sullivan told WALB that heavy machinery was required to remove the wall that fell on the victim to recover her body. The victim was accompanying her husband, a truck driver, to the plant where he was loading products into and out of his tractor-trailer. Neither of them worked at the plant.

The woman was asleep in the sleeper of the truck when the explosion occurred and was killed when the concrete wall collapsed onto the tractor-trailer, according to CNN. Her body was confirmed to have been recovered at 2:10 p.m.

The union’s communication director, Chelsea Connor, confirmed that the explosion originated from a boiler.

“I know it’s a horrible tragedy for the victims that were burned and also for the victim who died,” said Mitchell County Coroner Jamey Thompson. “My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.”