A tire blowout on a Delta Air Lines jet during maintenance at the Atlanta airport on Tuesday killed two employees and seriously injured a third, authorities in Georgia said.
The two deaths occurred early in the morning in a hangar at the Hartsfield-Jackson international airport as the workers changed the tire, Delta said in a statement.
Atlanta police department Maj Kelley Collier told reporters that emergency crews responded to a call about a tire explosion at the airport’s technical operations maintenance facility at about 5am.
The identities of the dead workers were not immediately disclosed. The third Delta employee was taken to hospital with “major injuries”, but the worker’s condition on Tuesday afternoon was not known.
According to flight records, the three were working on a Boeing 757 jet that arrived from Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Delta was cooperating with local authorities and “conducting a full investigation to determine what happened”, the company said in a statement.
“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning. We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time,” it said.
“The Delta family is grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site.”
The mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, tweeted his sympathy. “I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees,” he wrote. “My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), a union that says it represents more than 100,000 airline workers across the US, said the group’s members also wanted a full inquiry into Tuesday’s deaths.
“IAM stands in solidarity with the community of Atlanta and expresses our deepest condolences to the victims’ families following the tragic incident that occurred this morning,” it said in a statement.
“As a union dedicated to the well-being and safety of our members and the broader community, we will offer our resources to all those impacted by this tragic event.
“We stand in unity with Delta workers during this difficult time and we call on Delta and the relevant authorities to quickly launch a thorough investigation into how this happened.”
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the Delta workers’ deaths and was in contact with the airline. Flights in and out of the Hartsfield-Jackson airport were unaffected, airport officials said.
