WASHINGTON – At least 15 people were injured on Friday after a liquid nitrogen line exploded at a Textron Aviation plant near Wichita, Kansas, officials said.
Emergency medical services took 11 people to the hospital, one of them suffering potentially serious injuries, said Dr. John Gallagher, director of Sedgwick County EMS.
News video from the scene showed what appeared to be a steam cloud billowing out of the damaged building. The gas was not harmful, said Deputy Chief Daniel Wegner of the Sedgwick County Fire Department.
Textron Aviation, a unit of Textron, Inc., makes Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft.
The Wichita-area economy has long been supported by aircraft manufacturing.
Boeing Co announced in January it would suspend production of its 737 Max jetliner, which has been grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes. That move affected workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Boeing’s top supplier, which produces the jet’s fuselages.(Reuters)
