A chemical release at an industrial facility in Institute, West Virginia killed two people and sent dozens of others to hospitals, according to multiple reports from Tuesday. The incident occurred at a plant in the Kanawha Valley region, an area with a long history of chemical industry activity, and prompted an emergency response from local and state authorities.

Residents near the facility were urged to shelter in place as emergency crews worked to contain the release and assess the extent of contamination. Hospitals in the surrounding area treated patients for symptoms consistent with chemical exposure, though the full scope of injuries was still being evaluated as of Wednesday morning.

Investigators are working to determine the exact chemical or chemicals involved in the release and what caused the incident. Federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, were expected to be involved in the investigation alongside state authorities.

Institute, located just west of Charleston, sits in a corridor sometimes called 'Chemical Valley' due to the concentration of industrial plants there. The area has experienced chemical incidents in past decades, most notably the 1985 Union Carbide leak that injured hundreds, drawing ongoing scrutiny of plant safety standards in the region.

Officials have not yet released the identities of the two people killed. Community members and environmental advocates are expected to call for a thorough accounting of safety protocols at the facility in the days ahead.