At a Delta Air Lines plant in Atlanta, a tire explosion claimed the lives of two workers and injured one.

 

At a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility close to the Atlanta airport on Tuesday, a tire explosion claimed the lives of two workers and critically injured another.

According to Delta, the explosion happened inside a wheel and brake shop when wheel components were being dismantled for repair. According to the airline, the pieces were not at that time affixed to a plane.

According to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an inquiry has been launched. Delta stated that it was collaborating with law enforcement and that the explosion's cause remained undisclosed.

The airport said flights were unaffected, and Delta said its maintenance operation was unaffected. "The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility," Delta said in a statement. "We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this extremely difficult time." A number of Atlanta fire units and police responded to the maintenance hangar near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport shortly after 5 a.m., according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Delta stated late on Tuesday afternoon that the injured worker was still receiving medical attention and thanked the emergency personnel and medical staff.

The airline, based in Atlanta, stated, "We are immediately collaborating with local authorities and undertaking a complete investigation to understand what transpired."

The Federal Aviation Administration stated that it was in communication with Delta; nonetheless, the FAA forwarded to the airline a request for further details regarding the apparent mishap. An inquiry has been launched, according to OSHA spokesperson Eric Lucero, by the federal occupational safety department.

The explosion site is a part of Delta TechOps, a company that serves over 150 aviation and airline clients worldwide in addition to Delta, providing maintenance, repair, and overhaul services.

In a memo to personnel, Delta Executive Vice President and President of TechOps John Laughter announced that the airline will provide counselors for its workers.

"with standing with one another, we will get through this together," he remarked.

Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens expressed his sympathies to the victims' families on X.

In an attempt to unionize 20,000 ground employees at the predominately nonunion Delta, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers demanded that the airline and law enforcement "immediately conduct a complete inquiry into how this happened."