At least six dead in chemical leak near Atlanta

At least six people died and another nine were injured Thursday in a liquid nitrogen leak at a food-processing plant near the US city of Atlanta, police said.

There were "5 fatalities confirmed on the scene" of the leak, police from Gainesville, Georgia told reporters, adding that 10 people were transported to hospital.

One of those died in hospital, with three others in critical care.

The leak did not cause an explosion, and its cause -- which is still unknown -- remains under investigation, they said.

The accident occurred at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) in a specialized poultry processing plant, Prime Pak Foods, located in Hall County in the southeastern US state.

Students in nearby schools were temporarily confined to their classrooms as initial reports suggested there had been a chemical explosion.