Several John Deere employees were injured, some critically, in an explosion involving a chemical storage facility in Tianjin, China.
The explosions originated at a warehouse site owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co., a company that stores and transports dangerous chemicals. Company executives have been taken into custody, state media said.
More than 500 people were hospitalized and at least 50 confirmed dead, according to state media in China.
The John Deere facilities were damaged and operations for John Deere were temporarily suspended in Tianjin, according to Deere and Company spokesperson Ken Golden. Doors and windows were blown out, ceilings were damaged, and at least one water pipe was damaged.
"We have already determined that several employees who were home at the time of the blasts have sustained serious injuries and some are in critical condition," Golden said. "In addition, a small group of Deere employees received minor injuries at work due to broken glass from windows that shattered."
Some workers could not return to their homes located in a restricted area near the site of the blast.
John Deere travelers who were already in the area were instructed to leave Tianjin and go instead to Beijing. John Deere employees who were scheduled to travel to the area will postpone that travel, Golden said.
