Army identifies worker killed in Missouri plant explosion

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A worker who died during an explosion at an ammunition plant in Missouri has been identified as a 55-year-old man from suburban Kansas City.

The U.S. Army said Lawrence Bass of Blue Springs, Missouri, died Tuesday after the blast at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence.

Contractor Orbital ATK, which operates the plant, said Bass had worked there 35 years and was an operator in the primer mixing operation.

Four other workers were treated at the scene. The explosion occurred in a building where chemicals are mixed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading the investigation.

The plant makes and tests small-caliber ammunition for the military and operates the NATO test center.

Orbital is the biggest maker of small-caliber ammunition for the U.S. Department of Defense.