An investigation is under way after a man was injured in an industrial accident in Ballymena yesterday.

Machinery fell on the man as it was being serviced. The accident happened around 10am on Monday at the JTI cigarette plant in the town and he remains critically ill in hospital.

The JTI plant was formerly known as the Gallaher cigarette factory.

The man was taken to Antrim Area Hospital but later transferred to the Ulster Hospital in Belfast for specialised treatment.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Health and Safety Executive for NI confirmed that an investigation had begun.

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"The circumstances surrounding this particular incident are under investigation and HSENI is unable to comment further at this time," the statement said.

JTI - Japan Tobacco International is the international tobacco business of Japan Tobacco Inc and a leading international tobacco product manufacturer, with a global market share of almost 10%.

The company was formed in 1999 when Japan Tobacco Inc. purchased the international tobacco operations of the US multinational R.J.Reynolds.

In 2007, Gallaher, a FTSE 100 business, was acquired by Japan Tobacco Inc. for £9.4 billion. At the time, this was the largest foreign acquisition by a Japanese company.

In 2009, the JT Group acquired part of the worldwide business of Tribac Leaf Limited (a company that trades tobacco in Africa), as well as two Brazilian companies active in the tobacco business, Kannenberg and KBH&C.

In the same year, the JT Group also set up JTI Leaf Services, a joint venture with two leaf suppliers in the US - Hail & Cotton Inc. and JEB International.

(BMcC/GK)