Two killed in Ill. chemical plant mishap

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Two chemical workers were killed and at least seven others sickened by exposure to a toxic powder at an East St. Louis, Ill., plant, officials said.

Authorities said the incident happened Saturday at the Ro-Corp Inc. facility when a drum containing the deadly chemical nitroaniline was dropped, popping its lid and sending a cloud of the powder into the air, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

East St. Louis City Manager Robert Betts said two Ro-Corp workers were killed and seven others went to area hospitals seeking help. The newspaper said no details on the workers' identities had been released.

Emergency rooms at St. Anthony's Medical Center in south St. Louis County and DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, Mo., were quarantined after the victims' arrivals and were decontaminated. Officials said there was no danger to the community from the chemical.

Ro-Corp is a part of G.S. Robins and Co., of St. Louis, a chemical supplier. No one responded to the newspaper's message left with the company Saturday night.