WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Truck with fireworks explodes, kills two and injures three

Truck with fireworks explodes, kills two and injures three

OCRACOKE ISLAND, NC (WBTV) - A second worker has died from injuries he suffered after a fireworks truck exploded on a remote North Carolina Island.

A spokesman for a Chapel Hill burn center says the worker died about six hours after the blast Saturday morning.

A local company was transporting the fireworks and there are indications that its employees are among the injured. Melrose South Pyrotechnics of Catawba, SC released the following statement to WBTV Saturday:

"A company representative is en route to the site to work with local authorities in their investigation.We do not have any further information at this time. We will report any details as we receive them."

Hyde County spokeswoman Jamie Tunnell says three other workers were injured when the truck exploded as the workers prepared for the annual Independence Day fireworks display on the Ocracoke Island docks.

Ocracoke Island is at the southern end of the Outer Banks, accessible only by ferry. We're told the explosion happened in the ferry terminal.

The explosion was heard across Ocracoke village and a witness said it looked like 40 minutes worth of fireworks went off in four seconds.

The island is only accessible by boat and ferry.

Ferry routes from Ocracoke to Cedar Island and Ocracoke to Swan Quarter are still suspended, pending clearance from Homeland Security. Officials plan to extend the hours to accommodate all travelers who had reservations, as well as those in the stand-by lanes.

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