A couple of Atlanta Hearth Rescue Division devices and police park out of doors a Delta Repairs facility close to Hartsfield-Jackson World Airport early Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 in Atlanta.
John Spink/AP/Atlanta Magazine-Charter
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John Spink/AP/Atlanta Magazine-Charter
ATLANTA — Two staff had been killed and some other severely injured Tuesday in a tire explosion at a Delta Air Strains upkeep facility close to the Atlanta airport. Delta mentioned the explosion came about whilst wheel elements had been being disassembled for upkeep at a wheel and brake store. The portions weren’t hooked up to a aircraft on the time, the airline mentioned. The federal Occupational Protection and Well being Management mentioned it opened an investigation. Delta mentioned it was once operating with government and the reason for the explosion has no longer been launched. A number of Atlanta fireplace devices and police spoke back to the upkeep hangar close to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta World Airport in a while after 5 a.m., The Atlanta Magazine-Charter reported. The airport mentioned flights weren’t affected, and Delta mentioned its upkeep operation was once no longer impacted.
“The Delta circle of relatives is heartbroken on the lack of two workforce individuals and the damage of some other following an incident this morning on the Atlanta Technical Operations Repairs facility,” Delta mentioned in a remark. “We’ve got prolonged our complete enhance to members of the family and associates all the way through this extremely tough time.”
Delta thanked first responders and scientific groups, and mentioned the injured employee remained beneath hospital treatment past due Tuesday afternoon. “We are actually operating with native government and accomplishing a complete investigation to resolve what took place,” the Atlanta-based airline mentioned. The Federal Aviation Management mentioned it was once involved with Delta, however FAA referred a request for additional info concerning the obvious twist of fate to the airline. Eric Lucero, a spokesperson for OSHA, mentioned the federal workplace-safety company had began an investigation. The ability the place the explosion took place is a part of Delta TechOps, which plays upkeep, restore and overhaul paintings for Delta and greater than 150 aviation and airline shoppers around the globe. The president of TechOps, Delta Government Vice President John Laughter, mentioned in a word to group of workers that the airline will make counselors to be had to workers. “We’re all on this in combination, and we’ll get thru this through supporting each and every different,” he mentioned.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens posted on X to provide his condolences to family members of the sufferers. The World Affiliation of Machinists and Aerospace Employees, which is making an attempt to arrange 20,000 floor staff at in large part nonunion Delta, known as at the airline and government “to temporarily release a radical investigation into how this took place.”
