People 'fell out': Witness on deadly GA nitrogen leak

Five people died at the Gainesville plant before they could be taken to a hospital, while one person died in the emergency room, the officials said.

The nitrogen leak happened at the Prime Pak Foods facility in Gainesville, about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta, around 10 a.m., said Zach Brackett, a Hall County Fire Services spokesman.

Officials said that three Gainesville firefighters and one firefighter from Hall County were among those taken to the hospital.

At least 130 other people were taken from the plant to gather at a nearby church to be medically evaluated, police said.

Nearby schools were put on lockdown as a precaution, officials said, but there was no hazard reported outside the facility.