Sources confirm that a devastating explosion at a paper mill in the American Midwest has left at least one worker dead and nine others missing. The blast, which occurred at the Evergreen Paper Products facility in rural Indiana, sent a fireball into the night sky and rained debris across a mile-wide radius. Local authorities have declared a major incident and are racing against time to locate survivors amid the smouldering wreckage.
The fallen worker has been identified as 54-year-old foreman Dale Higgins, a father of three who had clocked in for the night shift just hours earlier. His body was recovered from the crumpled remains of the control room. The nine missing are presumed trapped beneath collapsed steel and concrete, their fates unknown as rescue teams navigate unstable structures and toxic fumes.
This tragedy has sent shockwaves across the Atlantic. UK safety inspectors have been placed on high alert, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issuing an immediate advisory to all British paper mills to review their explosive dust management protocols. The HSE's rapid response follows revelations that Evergreen Paper Products had been cited for safety violations three times in the past five years, including a 2022 fine of £120,000 for failing to control combustible dust.
Uncovered documents obtained by this desk show that internal audits at the Indiana plant had flagged 'critical risks' of dust accumulation as early as 2021. Yet those warnings were buried under production deadlines. The mill had been running at 110 per cent capacity to meet soaring demand for cardboard packaging.
The explosion raises uncomfortable questions about corporate accountability. Evergreen Paper Products is a subsidiary of TransGlobal Packaging, a London-listed conglomerate with a market capitalisation of £4.7 billion. Sources close to the investigation confirm that TransGlobal executives were aware of the safety deficiencies but prioritised shareholder returns over worker safety.
One former safety officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told this reporter: 'The writing was on the wall. They cut corners and now a man is dead. It's only a matter of time before the same thing happens here.'
UK unions have seized on the disaster, demanding an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the safety practices of multinational corporations operating British mills. The GMB union has called for a moratorium on night shifts at paper mills until dust extraction systems are independently verified.
As the search continues in Indiana, the body count may yet rise. Each hour that passes dims hope for the missing. Their families wait in a cold church hall, holding photographs and clutching rosaries. Meanwhile, TransGlobal's London office remains silent. No statement. No condolences. Just the hum of profit margins.
This is not an accident. This is the predictable outcome of deregulation and greed. And if UK safety inspectors do their job, heads will roll.
