One person dead after chemical tank explodes in Nash County

A worker at a chemical plant in Middlesex has been found dead after a tank exploded on the property.

The explosion happened about 9:35 a.m. Friday in a 15,000-gallon outdoor mixing tank. Only one person was on site at the time, said Lewis Smith of the Nash County fire marshal’s office.

Investigators were still at the scene of the explosion at Pencco on Friday afternoon, sampling for contaminants and searching for the missing employee. Middlesex Police Chief Mike Collins said the worker’s body was recovered between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

On its website, Pencco says it makes water- and wastewater-treatment chemicals. The company says it is a top producer of ferric sulfate and ferric chloride.

Pencco is based in Sealy, Texas, and also has a location in California. Company officials could not be immediately reached in North Carolina or Texas.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 1:38 PM with the headline "One person dead after chemical tank explodes in Nash County."