A tornado that hit North Carolina on Wednesday caused severe damage to a plant owned by the Pfizer company. Authorities said at least 16 people were injured, including two seriously.
Authorities assessed the damage caused by the phenomenon which reached speeds of up to 150 miles per hour and traveled at least 17 miles between Dortches and Nash counties and ended 9 miles northeast of Battleboro, Edgecombe county.
In a statement, the pharmaceutical company confirmed damage to its factory near Rocky Mount and indicated that workers had been evacuated.
We can confirm that the Pfizer Rocky Mount facility was damaged by the tornado. Pfizer colleagues at the site followed our established safety protocol and were able to evacuate. They are safe and responsible.
— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) July 19, 2023
The National Weather Service (NWS) specified that the maximum width of the phenomenon was about 600 meters and that it was the first Category EF-3 tornado in the central region of North Carolina in July.
The damaged plant produces anesthesia and other medical substances and nearly 25% of all sterile injectable drugs used in U.S. hospitals, according to Pfizer information on its website.
Injectable sterilized drugs are products used as anesthesia, as well as the treatment of infections and even for temporary paralysis of muscles.
🇺🇸 – A tornado ripped through a Pfizer building in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, destroying 50,000 pallets of medicinepic.twitter.com/BKsctlACMY
— Vision Times in Spanish (@VisionTimesEsp) July 20, 2023
Source: Eluniverso
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