WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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TUESDAY, APRIL 17: AMERICA'S WORST INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT
Profile America — Tuesday, April 17th. Sixty-five years ago yesterday and today, the nation's worst industrial accident devastated Texas City, Texas. Tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer were being loaded into a French ship when fire broke out. About an hour later, the ship exploded, causing catastrophic damage and loss of life. The blast damaged another ship that blew up the next day. It's estimated that some 600 people were killed, another 5,000 injured, and a third of the town's houses had to be condemned. Property damage in today's terms was just over a billion dollars. In the U.S., 3,600 workers are killed each year on the job and another 5 million injured enough to seek medical treatment. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 220
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 657
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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