Beijing, China: A number of John Deere employees were injured at the company’s Tianjin manufacturing plant after the massive chemical explosion that tore through the Chinese port city.
In an article in the weekly TurfPro newsletter it said a small group of Deere employees working at the time suffered minor injuries, but several others were injured in their homes when a hazardous chemical warehouse exploded.
The report said that John Deere spokesman Ken Golden indicated there was no total count on how many Deere employees were injured, but some were in critical condition. The company has not been notified of any deaths of its employees, he said.
Across the blast area, the local government was reporting 700 injured, dozens missing and at least 50 dead, the Associated Press reported.
John Deere, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, employs 1,300 people at the manufacturing campus located in what is known as the Tianjin Economic Development Area, or TEDA.
The facility, which includes a three-story engineering centre and single-story manufacturing buildings, manufactures construction and agriculture equipment as well as engines.
The explosion occurred in the middle of the night when few Deere employees were at work, “which is why we had employees injured at their homes,” he said. Those Deere employees injured at the TEDA facility received minor injuries when the windows shattered.
The explosion also blew out doors at some of the Deere buildings, damaged ceilings and broke at least one water pipe, which caused water damage in the engine works facility.
John Deere employees in the area were asked to locate temporarily to Beijing because of concerns over air quality and the stress of local emergency medical services.