Man Killed At Pascagoula Plant

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say a 39-year-old Pascagoula man died after sustaining a head injury at Mississippi Phosphates Corp.

Jackson County Coroner Vicki Broadus tells The Mississippi Press (http://bit.ly/KHgzXJ [1] ) Jeffrey Simpson was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Sheriff Mike Byrd said it appeared that a piece of equipment exploded and killed the worker.

Broadus said an autopsy would be performed Tuesday.

In a statement, company officials said the accident occurred during a maintenance procedure in a portion of the plant that was not operational at the time.

Madison, Miss.-based Mississippi Phosphates Corp. manufactures diammonium phosphate at the Pascagoula facility.