Paper mill explosion kills worker

REDWOOD, Miss., May 3 (UPI) -- An explosion in the boiler room at a Mississippi paper mill killed one employee Saturday afternoon, emergency officials said.

Gwen Coleman, who heads emergency services in Warren County, said as many as 17 people were hurt in the blast, which occurred around 3 p.m., the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported. Some of the injuries were described as critical.

The International Paper Co. mill in Redwood, about 50 miles west of Jackson, employs around 300 people. Coleman said most of those in the boiler room area Saturday were contract workers.