Massachusetts Blast Site Where 1 Died Moves to Cleanup Phase

Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office examine a vat that was hurled out of the pharmaceutical plant and landed an estimated 30 feet away in Newburyport, Mass., on May 4, 2023. Keith Sullivan/The Newburyport Daily News via AP

NEWBURYPORT, Mass.—Authorities in Massachusetts on Friday identified the worker who died after a powerful explosion tore through a pharmaceutical chemical plant with a history of safety violations.

Fire crews in Newburyport were still cleaning up the site, a day after what they described as seven-alarm hazardous materials event that tore the roof off the building and sprayed debris as far as 800 feet (244 meters) away from the facility. Four workers were sent to a hospital, but were uninjured and released.