Five individuals – including two firefighters – were taken to a hospital following a chemical spill at a cheese processing factory in County Down, the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) has confirmed.
Emergency services were alerted at approximately 22:30 BST on Friday to an incident at the Leprino Foods factory on Steps Road, near Magheralin.
A total of 17 people were assessed at the scene by paramedics, with five transferred to the hospital as a precaution. Fortunately, all have since been discharged, and none sustained life-threatening injuries.
The response operation involved four fire appliances, a Command Support Unit, multiple ambulances, a Hazardous Area Response Team, a medical doctor, and officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The NIFRS confirmed the situation was brought under control, with all emergency personnel standing down at 04:50 BST on Saturday morning.
As a precaution, a 100-metre exclusion zone was established around the site, although authorities have stressed there is no ongoing risk to public health. Residents have been asked to avoid the area temporarily while investigations continue.
A full inquiry is underway to determine the cause of the chemical incident at the dairy production facility, which is a major supplier of mozzarella products.
