A tornado in North Carolina ripped through a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant, on Wednesday afternoon.

The tornado touch-downed at 12:30 pm and shortly after it made landfall it ripped through Pfizer’s plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

A local sheriff stated over 50,000 pallets of medicine were destroyed by the tornado and there have been no reported deaths.

Here’s the aftermath:

Check out what The Hill reported:

A tornado ripped through a North Carolina city Wednesday, damaging a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant, several residential homes and roadways.

The tornado touched down in the Rocky Mount area of North Carolina shortly after 12:30 p.m., leaving downed trees and power lines in its path, according to Nash County officials.

The National Weather Service of Raleigh said Wednesday night the damage found north of Rocky Mount is consistent with an EF3 tornado and wind speeds of 150 miles per hour.

Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone confirmed the tornado damaged a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in the Rocky Mount area, leaving medicine and debris strewn around the facility.

Stone said the Pfizer plant holds large quantities of medicine, telling reporters, “I’ve got reports of 50,000 pallets of medicine that are strewn across the facility and damaged through the rain and the wind.” Stone said he has not been able to confirm the extent of damage.

Per ABC 11 News:

A tornado heavily damaged a large Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina on Wednesday, scattering medicine and other debris around the complex.

Pfizer said its large complex in Rocky Mount was damaged by a twister that tore through Nash County.

“We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production,” the company said. “Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident.”

A Pfizer employee who spoke to ABC11 said it happened in a span of 60 to 90 seconds and there was no time to think. He said first the lights flickered inside the facility and then he said it sounded “like a bomb went off.

The worker said he and his group immediately ran to a designated safety area.

 

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