LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two workers died after an explosion at a Louisville, Kentucky, plant caused a partial building collapse and blew out windows in nearby homes and businesses, the company said Wednesday.

The the explosion happened on Tuesday afternoon at Givaudan Sense Colour, which produces colorants for food and beverages.

“We mourn with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have been lost and injured during this very difficult time,” the company said in a statement.

Firefighters rescued and evacuated many people from the building, including some with life-threatening injuries, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement late Tuesday. Greenberg said officials accounted for everyone working at the plant at the time.

It was previously reported that at least 11 employees were taken to hospitals.

The case was under investigation. Greenberg said officials spoke with employees inside the plant and that they “initially relayed that everything was normal business when the explosion occurred.”

The company said it is in the early stages of investigating the case and is cooperating with authorities.

“We appreciate their heroic response and extend our thanks to those in the community who showed their support throughout the day,” the company said.

Patrick Livers lives in a neighborhood just across the railroad tracks from the factory. He was at work when his mother, who had been picking up her children from school and bringing them home, called to say his house had been damaged by the explosion.

“I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ Then he showed me the video, I was like, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he said.

Livers said no one was home at the time. He said the explosion blew out windows up and down his street.

“The house is still standing. It’s just structural damage. If it was on a wall, it’s on the floor,” he said. “All the windows of the neighbors were broken, the doors were blown up. It looked like a small tornado had broken out in the house.”

Steve Parobek was at work when the explosion ripped through the kitchen window of his apartment a block from the factory. She arrived home to find her cat safe and used two pizza boxes and some duct tape to cover her window as temperatures steadily dropped Tuesday night.

The Louisville Fire Department was leading the investigation as of Tuesday night with the help of state and federal partners. A reconstruction team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives headed to Louisville to help determine the cause of the explosion.

In April 2003, an explosion at the same location killed a worker at a caramel coloring factory owned by DD Williamson. & Co. Givaudan acquired the plant from DD Williamson in 2021.

Federal investigators determined that a pressure relief valve in a tank was removed when the company moved the tank to its Louisville plant in 1989. The tank exploded because there was no safety valve, according to a Committee on Safety report Chemistry.

Associated Press reporters John Raby and Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report.