Toxic Gas Leak Injures 20 at Cheese Plant

A hazardous chemical incident at the Southwest Cheese plant in Clovis, New Mexico, resulted in 20 workers being sickened after a malfunction caused 8.67 gallons of acid to mix with 0.61 gallons of chlorine, creating toxic gas fumes. Emergency responders transported 14 employees to local hospitals, with two individuals reported in critical condition. The Curry County Sheriff's Office stated that the incident occurred around 9:15 a.m., leading to a significant response from hazardous materials teams to secure the area. Investigators are currently looking into the mechanical failure that caused the chemical overflow, while production at the facility resumed later that morning following clearance. Southwest Cheese, which produces over 588 million pounds of cheese annually, emphasized that the health and safety of its workers is a top priority. Authorities confirmed that there is no ongoing threat to the public from the incident.