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US: At least 14 injured after huge explosion at Ohio metal factory

US: At least 14 injured after huge explosion at Ohio metal factory

ohio explosion

At least 14 people were injured after an explosion tore through a metal plant in Ohio, scattering molten metal and debris that rained down on neighbouring buildings, officials said.

The blast at the I. Schumann & Co. metals sent smoke billowing in the sky that could be seen from miles away, IBT reported.

The Oakwood Fire Department Captain Brian DiRicco during a briefing said that among the injured, 13 were taken to hospital, most of them with burn wounds, and one more was treated on site.

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"The people were mostly walkingwounded. They were coming up to us. I'm sure there's a lot of people that work here that were in shock."

He added, that at least one was in critical condition and one was pulled from the debris. All of those injured were on site, and the falling debris didn't cause damage to the neighbouring buildings.

DiRicco said that he had inspected the scene before and claimed it to be a 'safe place' except that it's a foundry, and when dealing with molten metal, there's always an inherent danger.

Matthew Wiggins, the owner of the neighbouring business Rose Coloured Gaming told WOIO that he heard the explosion "within a second or two, it sounded like large amounts of debris were hitting the roof."

He added, "things were falling off the walls, falling off shelves. We went out front and there was like smoldering rocks and molten metal in the yard. Tons and tons of smoke. Fire billowing out of the building across the street."

(with inputs from agencies)

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