NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - One person died and another was seriously injured after a storage tank exploded at a DuPont 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, the Buffalo News reported.
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 News reported, citing Bado and a union official.
The DuPont Yerkes plant employs 700 people and produces countertops, sinks and laminate film used in solar panels, local media said.
"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)
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