Two dead, 5 missing in Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion
- Police said the explosion destroyed one building and damaged a neighbouring building. The cause remains under investigation, police said
- Officials said dogs and imaging equipment were being used to look for signs of life during the careful removal of debris
An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed two people and left five people missing, authorities said. One person was pulled from the rubble overnight.
Rescue crews using dogs and imaging equipment continued to search through the rubble Saturday - hours after the blast that erupted just before 5pm on Friday at the RM Palmer Company plant in the borough of West Reading, about 60 miles (96 km) northwest of Philadelphia.
West Reading officials said on Saturday they could confirm only two fatalities. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency had earlier said there were five fatalities, citing county emergency management officials, but after an update from the county also indicated that two had died and five were missing.
Chief of Police Wayne Holben said the rescue of one person from the rubble “provides hope that others still may be found.” Rescuers were continuing a thorough search using specialised equipment and techniques. Officials said dogs and imaging equipment were being used to look for signs of life during the careful removal of debris.
Holben said the explosion destroyed one building and damaged a neighbouring building. The cause remains under investigation, he said.
“It’s pretty levelled,” Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the explosion site. “The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building 4 ft forward.”
A UGI Utilities spokesman said crews were brought in after damage from the blast led to the release of gas that was helping to feed the fire.