NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- An explosion at a chemical manufacturing plant in Louisville, U.S. state of Kentucky, on Tuesday afternoon killed two employees with more than ten others injured, according to media reports.
The explosion led to partial collapse of the Givaudan Sense Colour plant building and at least 12 employees were rushed to local hospitals. Four of them remain in hospital as of Wednesday, officials said.
Thirteen others were also hurt but opted not to be hospitalized, according to local Emergency Medical Services.
The cause of the incident is still under investigation. "We are in the early stages of investigating the cause of this incident and are cooperating with first responders and supporting agencies," said Givaudan Sense Colour in a statement.
The U.S. National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms began making its way to Louisville on Tuesday night to assist local authorities in helping understand what caused this explosion, said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg via a post on social media.
The blast also damaged windows of nearby homes and businesses and triggered a shelter-in-place order for a one-mile radius of the factory. ■