Employee dead after falling into tank at Salisbury chemical plant

One person died in an industrial accident early Saturday morning in Rowan County at a specialty chemical plant.

Officials at AkzoNobel told WBTV an employee at the Salisbury location fell into an open tank during a loading operation around 4 a.m. Crews responded to the scene and entered the tank before discovering the employee had died.

Salisbury Fire and Rowan EMS responded to the location to conduct an investigation.

"We are terribly saddened by this loss and our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family and the rest of the employees at our site in Salisbury. At this time, we are working with first responders to further investigate the incident. Our primary concern is providing support for the family and ensuring the continued well-being and safety of our other employees," a spokesperson for the company said.

Production at the site has been suspended and OSHA has been called in to help further investigate the incident.

The employee's name has not been released.

This story was originally published May 6, 2018 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Employee dead after falling into tank at Salisbury chemical plant."