***Update 7/6 12:11pm***
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The South Carolina company that employed
four workers who died following an explosion as they unloaded
fireworks on North Carolina's Outer Banks had been cited for at
least one previous accident.
A 2001 explosion at Melrose South Pyrotechnics' plant near Rock
Hill killed a 24-year-old seasonal employee and injured a
22-year-old worker. In a settlement with the state, the company
agreed to pay a reduced fine of $20,750 without acknowledging any
wrongdoing.
Two years ago, two employees were hurt during a fireworks show
at Fort Stewart, Ga. Officials blamed a malfunctioning firework
that detonated prematurely and started a chain reaction.
The company said in a statement Monday that employees are
working with federal and local officials to determine what caused
the July 4 accident.
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OCRACOKE, N.C. (AP) - Five people working on Independence Day fireworks shows were killed by explosions, four of them by a single blast that rocked Ocracoke Island, a remote village along North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Police say the fifth died after an explosion at a fireworks show in Pennsylvania.
The blast at Ocracoke came as workers were unloading fireworks Saturday from a truck at the Anchorage Marina, shaking homes and businesses across the southern end of Ocracoke Island and rattling residents and tourists. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the cause was accidental.
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