A tire explosion on Tuesday at a maintenance facility in Delta Air Lines, near the Atlanta airport, resulted in the loss of two workers and left a third seriously injured. The Delta clarified that the incident occurred while wheel components were being dismantled at a wheel and brake shop. The airline also stated that the parts were not attached to an aircraft at the time of the incident.
The Federal Occupational Safety and Health istration in the US said it has opened an investigation. According to the Delta, the company is working with authorities, but the cause of the explosion has not yet been released.
Local medical authorities identified the deceased as Mirko Marweg, 58, and Luis Aldarondo, 37. The name of the injured man remains undisclosed.
In a statement, the airline said: “The Delta family is heartbroken over the loss of two team and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility. We are now working with local authorities and conducting a thorough investigation to determine what happened.”
The facility where the explosion occurred is part of the Delta TechOps, which offers maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the Delta and more than 150 aviation customers around the world. In a note to employees, John Laughter, president of TechOps and executive vice president of Delta, stated that the company will make advisors available to employees.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which is campaigning to unionize 20.000 Delta ground workers, has spoken out calling on the airline and authorities to “quickly begin a full investigation into how this happened”.
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