18 hospitalised after gas leak at North Carolina factory
Eighteen people were hospitalised after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a solar plant factory in North Carolina on Wednesday morning, 25 February.
Local news outlet WITN reported that employees at the Boviet Solar factory in Pitt County were taken ill and that emergency officials were called to the plant shortly before 09:30.
Some 200 people were evacuated from the plant after several employees felt dizzy and light-headed, according to Jim McArthur, Pitt County’s emergency medical services coordinator.
A state medical assistance bus was deployed with a medical team, along with a regional hazmat team based in Williamston. McArthur said that hazmat teams continued to monitor the air inside the plant and would coordinate with the plant's management on when it can reopen.
Songül Atacan, head of global brand and marketing at Boviet Solar, confirmed that all employees had been safely evacuated from the facility, and the appropriate city authorities were conducting an investigation. She added that no employees were inside the facility when emergency response teams were on site.
