NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - One person died and another was seriously injured as a storage tank exploded at a DuPont <DD.N> plant in the town of Tonawanda near Buffalo, New York, local media said on Tuesday.
The two victims were outside contractors who were working on the storage tank, Tonawanda police Lt. Nicholas Bado said, according to media reports.
"They were working on a tall, cylindrical object and the top blew back. I believe there was some welding involved," Bado told reporters, according to the Buffalo News.
The blast may have been caused by fumes or residue from whatever chemical the 10,000-gallon tank once held, Bado said, according to WNED radio.
One worker died instantly in the explosion and the other suffered burns that were not considered life-threatening, the Buffalo News reported, citing Bado and a union official.
About 700 people work at the DuPont Yerkes plant, which makes, among other products, Corian countertops.
"DuPont is cooperating fully with this investigation and we are conducting our own investigation to determine the cause of the incident," the company said in a statement. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Gerald E. McCormick)
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