Two Delta workers killed and one injured after tyre explosion

Two Delta Air Lines workers have been killed and one has been seriously injured after an aeroplane tyre exploded in Atlanta.

The tyre was being removed from a Delta plane in a maintenance facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

The BBC has contacted Delta for comment.

The casualties were not identified. One of the dead was a Delta employee and the other was a contractor, local media reported.

It's not clear how or why the incident occurred.

In a statement to local media, the airline said: “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.

“We are now working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened."

The Federal Aviation Adminstation said it was "aware of the event and is in communication with the airline".

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a union that represents many airline workers, called for an investigation into the deaths.

"We stand in unity with Delta workers during this difficult time and we call on Delta and the relevant authorities to quickly launch a thorough investigation into how this happened," the union said in a statement.

With few details, local authorities expressed support for the victims and their families.

Airport officials called it a "tragic incident".

“I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement posted online. “My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery.”

The aircraft arrived in Atlanta from Las Vegas on Sunday, according to online flight records.

The incident does not appear to have affected air traffic at the airport on Tuesday.

Delta is headquartered in Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson airport is the world’s busiest in terms of passenger numbers.