Page 5 - aruba-today-20180317

A5
U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 March 2018
Guard: Avalanche hit as soldiers were checking slope safety

By WILSON RING in any incident like this,"
JERICHO, Vt. (AP) — Six U.S. Brown said during a Friday
soldiers injured in an ava- news conference at the
lanche in a steep gully in mountain school head-
Vermont during a training quarters in Jericho.
exercise were part of an Brown said safety was al-
advanced group conduct- ways paramount when
ing a safety appraisal of conducting operations in
the slope and setting up the mountains and that
a ropes course, Vermont an investigation would be
National Guard officials conducted into incident.
said Friday. Two soldiers Master Sgt. Tom Bevins, the
remained hospitalized Fri- senior non-commissioned
day in good and fair con- officer who helped direct
ditions while they recover the rescue, said there have
from injuries suffered in the been avalanches in the
Wednesday avalanche. area in the past, but the
Guard officials would not spot where the snow gave
describe the nature of way was about 900 feet
the injuries or release their below where avalanch-
names. The ropes course es usually begin. "It's very
that was being set up for rare," he said.
those participating in a Bevins said the snow con-
lower-level course was ditions in the gully had Vermont National Guard soldiers on a training exercise emerge from a closed section on Vermont
cancelled and the training been assessed Tuesday 108 in Cambridge, Vt., just below Smuggers Notch on Wednesday night, March 14, 2018, after six
program for about 50 peo- and earlier Wednesday. "It soldiers were swept approximately 300 meters by an avalanche.
ple wrapped up Friday. looked like it was going to (Ryan Mercer/The Burlington Free Press via AP)
No more full courses are be a possibility that this was
scheduled this winter. definitely going to be OK to
Lt. Col. Matthew Brown, travel," Bevins said. "None
the commander of the U.S. of us ever saw it happen-
Army Mountain Warfare ing where it did happen."
School, said the area has Guard officials said they
been used for winter train- were aware that other av-
ing exercises since the ear- alanches had been report-
ly 1990s. ed in recent days on Mount
"This, to my knowledge, is Mansfield, Vermont's tallest
the first time we have ever peak, where Smugglers
had a student involved Notch is located.q

Texas: Search resumes for missing

worker after chemical plant blasts

By EMILY SCHMALL mable. Hood County said
CRESSON, Texas (AP) — The the company had not
search has resumed for a submitted an emergency
worker who is missing and management plan with
presumed dead after an them.
explosion at a Texas chemi- Wilson said the plant con-
cal plant, officials say. tains acids that react to
Hood County Fire Mar- heat, pressure and water,
shal Ray Wilson said there which is why they haven't
was a pause in the search yet turned on the fire hose.
at the Tri-Chem Industries Texas Department of Public
plant Friday afternoon Safety Staff Sgt. Earl Gillum
while crews evaluated the said experts determined
mixtures of chemicals that there were no air quality is-
had spilled at the plant in sues Thursday, but that the
Cresson, located 50 miles site remains dangerous be-
(80 kilometers) southwest cause of the chemicals still
of Dallas. Wilson said about to be cleaned up.
half of the 15,000-square- There is a fertilizer plant
foot (1,400-square-meter) adjacent to the Tri-Chem
building has caved in and plant, but Wilson said there
remains on fire following was "no known threat" to
the explosion Thursday. the fertilizer facility. An-
Hood County records other worker was treated
showed that in 2017 the for less severe injuries and
company had chemicals released from a hospital in
that were toxic and flam- Granbury on Friday.q