Drone footage shows extent of damage and destruction from deadly Louisville explosion

Fatal Explosion at a chemical plant in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday is currently under investigation.

The explosion occurred at the Givaudan Sense Color facility around 15:00 local time and the surrounding windows exploded. Louisville Metro Emergency Services called the situation a “hazmat incident” at X.

Louisville Fire Chief Brian O’Neill said at the news conference that the department knew when they arrived on scene that they weren’t just dealing with a fire. Instead, there was a structural collapse and a hazmat incident.

Aerial drone footage of the explosion scene shows the damage left behind by the explosion. Municipal officials said that the explosion also damaged many houses and workplaces in the surrounding area.

See drone footage of explosion of damage left behind in Louisville

2 people died in the explosion

“The first victim died at the hospital and succumbed to injuries sustained in the explosion,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference Wednesday morning. he said. “The second victim was found buried in the rubble late last night when Louisville firefighters entered the building to verify that everyone had been identified.”

“There will be an investigation into exactly what happened,” O’Neill said. “I know many of you are probably interested in what actually happened. Why did it happen? “And I’ll apologize in advance, we won’t get those answers right away, that will be part of the investigation.”

Louisville Metro Emergency Services Executive Director Jody Meiman said they were working to evacuate the area.

“We only evacuated about a block and a half to the people directly involved, and that was because they couldn’t take shelter where they were because their windows were broken by the explosion,” he said. “Some of the firefighters who were not assigned to the building knocked on the doors. “We took people who needed to leave the area to a specific location where they would be safe.”

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The two victims were employees of Givaudan Sense Color

Stefanie Lauber, head of corporate communications for Givaudan Sense Color, told the Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, that the two died in the explosion Employees said the company was “deeply saddened” by what happened. He added that there was no immediate threat to the surrounding community and that Givaudan was investigating and cooperating with authorities.

Chief medical officer of the University of Louisville Hospital, Dr. Jason Smith said doctors treating victims faced a “spectrum of injuries” consistent with an explosion, including blast injuries, thermal injuries and injuries from falling debris.

Greenberg said it was initially believed that all employees were accounted for shortly after the explosion. But O’Neill said it became clear later in the evening that not a single person was present. He said firefighters continued their search and found the second victim fatally injured “in an area amidst the rubble” just after midnight.

Mayor Greenberg observed a moment of silence for the two murdered people, whose identities have not yet been publicly disclosed out of respect for their families.

Credit: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY’s National Trends Team. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crimes, food recalls, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email him/her [email protected]. follow him instagram, Topics And X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Explosion at Louisville factory: Drone footage shows scene of destruction