German copper producer Aurubis AG suffered a serious incident at its Primary Smelter Plant East in Hamburg on May 11, resulting in two worker fatalities and a third currently in “an extremely critical condition.”
The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. and involved a nitrogen leak while the three employees were conducting regular maintenance on a nitrogen line, the company said. The two men died of their injuries in the hospital.
Aurubis said it is working closely with the authorities as they complete a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident. The company said the incident did not endanger the neighboring area to the plant or the environment, and the site of the accident has since been released by the authorities.