Six dead following liquid nitrogen leak at poultry plant in Georgia

Multiple others have been injured, according to reports

A liquid nitrogen leak at a poultry plant in northeast Georgia has killed six people and injured multiple others, officials have said.

Beth Downs, a spokesperson for Northeast Georgia Health System, said five people died at the Gainesville plant before they could be taken to the hospital, while one person died in the emergency room.

The leak happened after 10 a.m. Thursday at Prime Pak Foods in Gainesville, said Hall County Fire Department Division Chief Zach Brackett. 

He said firefighters arrived to find workers milling around outside, some with injuries.

At least four firefighters were also injured and taken to the Gainesville hospital with what Mr Brackett described as respiratory complaints.

Multiple patients were arriving at the emergency department at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, system spokesman Sean Couch said. 

The extent of their injuries was unclear.

Hall County school officials said students were being kept safe inside a nearby elementary school and said the leak was contained and not airborne.

 About 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) of a road that runs in front of the plant and school was closed.

Prime Pak Foods merged into Foundation Food Group, a company that takes raw chicken and processes it into products like chicken fingers and individual chicken cuts for restaurants and food service operations. 

The company's CEO did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Reporting by the Associated Press