US: Sugar-refinery blast victims fight for life

Dozens of people are fighting for their lives today after an explosion and fire rocked a sprawling Georgia sugar refinery.

Authorities were searching a nearby river early today for possible victims, more than two hours after then blast at the Imperial Sugar factory in Port Wentworth, a suburb of Savannah.

No deaths were immediately reported and there was no word on what caused the blast, in an area known as the “bagging plant”, officials said.

Sgt Mike Wilson of Savannah-Chatham County police reported an unconfirmed number of injuries, “well over 50 to 100 at this point”.

Dr Jay Goldstein of Memorial University Medical Centre said 30 to 35 patients were being treated, all in a critical condition. Candler Hospital reported three patients in a serious condition.

A triage centre was set up at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Port Wentworth, where Savannah-Chatham police Major Gerry Long said 28 had been sent on to hospitals.

Coastguard Lt Cmdr Kevin Lynn said shipping was shut down on the Savannah River while the waterway was searched for potential victims.

“It’s a large facility, and there is still a significant amount of fire,” said Clayton Scott, assistant director of the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency.

Nakishya Hill, a machine operator who said she escaped from the third floor of the refinery, near the Savannah River, described fire “all over the building”.

“All I know is, I heard a loud boom and everything came down,” said Hill, who was uninjured except for blisters on her elbow.

“When I got up, I went down and found a couple of people and we climbed out of there from the third floor to the first floor. Half of the floor was gone. The second floor was debris, the first floor was debris.

“All I could do when I got down was take off running.”

The plant is a Savannah landmark. Imperial, based in Sugar Land, Texas, acquired Savannah Foods & Industries, which produced Dixie Crystals, in 1997.

The acquisition doubled the size of the company, making it the largest processor and refiner of sugar in the country, according to the company’s website.

The company's chief executive said the blast was probably caused by sugar dust.

Ninety-five to 100 people were believed to be working in the area of the blast and six were unaccounted for, said Chief Michael Berkow of Savannah-Chatham County police.

“As far as we know, it was a sugar dust explosion,” Imperial Sugar CEO John Sheptor said.

The blast happened in a silo where refined sugar is stored until it is packaged, he said.

At least 40 people were taken to hospitals, and eight of them were flown to a burn centre in Augusta, 130 miles up the Savannah River, he said.