A devastating chemical blast at a paper mill in the United States has killed one worker and left nine others missing, in what union leaders are calling a tragically avoidable industrial disaster. The explosion ripped through the plant at around 6am local time, shaking homes miles away and sending a plume of black smoke into the sky. Emergency services have launched a search and rescue operation, but fears are growing for the nine unaccounted for.
The mill, which employs hundreds, is a major employer in a region that has seen manufacturing jobs dwindle. Unions are demanding an immediate investigation, pointing to repeated safety concerns. For families of the missing, the wait is agonising.
This is a grim reminder that in the real economy, the price of production is sometimes measured in human lives.
