Two People Stuck in M&M's Tank at Chocolate Factory Prompt Rescue
Two people were rescued from a chocolate tank in the Mars M&M factory in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Thursday. The two people became stuck in the tank and were rushed to area hospitals. Authorities reportedly needed to cut a hole in the tank to rescue the two people.
A Lancaster County 911 supervisor told ABC27 that the first person was pulled from the tank at 3:10 p.m. The second person was pulled out about 15 minutes later. They both fell into the tank. Their condition is unknown, but both people were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Authorities had to cut a hole in the tank to rescue the people, the dispatch supervisor said. It's not clear if the tank was full of chocolate at the time of the incident. The plant makes several Mars Wrigley products, including M&M's and Dove chocolate bars.
"One patient was transported by ground and one person was transported by helicopter," Assistant Supervisor Nick Schoenberger of Lancaster County 911 Dispatch told CNN. "Fire crews have eliminated pulling them straight out of a tank. They have to cut a hole in the side of the tank to get them out."
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the incident. Meanwhile, Mars Wrigley issued a statement thanking first responders for their work. "We are actively managing the situation and our primary focus is supporting emergency teams on site," the company said.
Thankfully, in this case, it appears the two people survived their ordeal. Unfortunately, there have been cases that ended in tragedy. In July 2009, Vincent Smith II, 29, fell into a chocolate melting tank at Cocoa Servies in Camden, New Jersey. He was struck in the head by a large mixing device and fell into the tank and died. Co-workers tried to save him, but they could not pull him from the eight-foot vat in time. Firefighters were called to pull him from the vat. OSHA also launched an investigation into the case to see if the plant violated safety regulations.
In December 2016, Svetlana Roslina, a 24-year-old mother of two, fell into a tank of molten chocolate at a candy plant near Moscow, Russia. She reportedly dropped her phone in the tank and tried to retrieve it when she fell in. Other reports claimed she was "dragged in" when she tried to empty a bag of ingredients.