18 refinery victims in Augusta expected to survive

Some hope amid the tragedy of the explosion of a sugar refinery near Savannah.

Doctors say 18 victims under treatment at a burn center in Augusta are likely to survive serious burns, despite 15 of the patients being in critical condition.

All of the victims suffered burns over 30 percent of their bodies. About half suffered burns over more than 50 percent of their bodies. Most were third degree burns.

The 15 who are in critical condition are in medically induced comas, and on ventilators.

The blast burned the victims on their faces, torsos, upper extremities and legs.

"Through the weekend, they will all be going into surgery," says Dr. Fred Mullins, medical director of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta. The center is the closest burn treatment center to Savannah, even though it's more than 140 miles away. "Through the weekend they will all be going into surgery. During surgery, there is blood loss as well as the burn itself can create the need for blood and they'll require multiple, multiple transfusions."

That situation has blood banks in Augusta appealing to the public to donate blood and platelets over the next few weeks.

Mullins says the victims were very close to the explosion.

"Just by talking to some of the patients who were not intubated and looking at the patients that were, they were right there at the explosion," says Mullins. "Some of the patients told me that after the explosion occurred, it blew them greater than ten feet up in the air."

Doctors say recovery will take a long time.

It will be months before some of the patients are even able to leave the hospital.

The Associated Press is reporting that about 50 people were injured in the blast.

There have been conflicting reports on the number of people who died.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the disaster.