The identities of the two Delta employees who were killed when a tire exploded in a maintenance facility at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Tuesday were revealed hours after the tragedy.
Mirko F. Marweg, 58, of Stone Mountain, and Luis Aldarondo, 37, of Newnan, were killed in the early morning explosion that left another coworker severely injured, according to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
What fatal injuries the pair sustained in the freak accident was not immediately clear.
“At this time there is limited information that can be released while this incident is still under investigation,” Brian Byars, the office’s director, said in a statement.
Experts were still working to untangle the cause of the devastating explosion, which rocked the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility just after 5 a.m.
Marweg and Aldarondo were among the crew members working in the facility’s wheel and brake shop, Delta confirmed.
They were working on wheel components that were being disassembled for maintenance and were not attached to an aircraft, a spokesperson for the airline said.
Delta could not say what positions the fatal pair held or how long they worked for the company before the tragedy occurred.
The surviving employee remained hospitalized as of Tuesday evening.
Earlier Tuesday, the Atlanta-based airline promised to launch a full investigation into the explosion.
“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility,” Delta said in a statement. “We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating.
Details on what led up to the explosion have not yet been released.
The facility where the explosion happened is part of Delta TechOps, which performs maintenance, repair and overhaul work for Delta and more than 150 aviation and airline customers around the world.
The tire that exploded was from a plane that had traveled from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Sunday night.
