DISASTER

Pharmaceutical Plant Explosion Leaves Four Injured, One Missing

Over the last three years, the plant has had multiple similar incidents, including a hazardous chemical fire.

An explosion at a pharmaceutical plant in Newburyport, Massachusetts, was so powerful the roof was torn off the building, leaving four employees injured and one missing. The cause of the Thursday morning incident is unknown, according to local officials, who say the structural damage to the building is preventing rescuers from conducting a thorough search. This is not the Sequens/PCI Synthesis plant’s first run-in with disaster—in 2020, a chemical explosion set off a series of blasts, though there were no injuries. A year later, a chemical fire caused an outpouring of smoke, requiring a response from a hazardous materials team.