Death toll rises to seven after chocolate factory explosion
Rescuers found two more bodies in the rubble after a chocolate factory exploded in Pennsylvania, killing a total of seven people.
The search for missing workers at the RM Palmer Co chocolate factory continued over the weekend after a massive explosion on Friday evening.
The bodies of two workers were found shortly after the blast occurred around 5.00pm that evening, but a total of nine people were still missing in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Another three bodies were pulled from the rubble over the course of Saturday and Sunday morning, as rescue crews used heavy machinery and search dogs across the site.
During the search, one of the rescue dogs managed to find one woman alive in the rubble on Saturday, officials said. She was found on the factory’s second floor, and called out to rescuers after the dog located her.
After another two bodies were found at 6.50pm and 8.20pm on Sunday evening, city authorities announced that all missing persons were finally accounted for.
‘This evening, search and rescue individuals located two more individuals at the RM Palmer site,’ West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben said at a press conference on Sunday night.
The police chief confirmed that the investigation into the cause of the detonation at the factory is still ongoing.
‘This is still a devastating loss, but we are truly grateful to be able to account for all presumptive missing and bring closure to families involved in the upcoming days,’ West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag said.
The mayor said that the names of the victims will not be released until their families and next-of-kin have been contacted.
She also confirmed that three buildings next to the blast site will be condemned over the course of the investigation as a precaution. The three buildings include another Palmer building, a medical supply manufacturer, and an apartment complex.
‘This doesn’t mean that they are slated for demolition or uninhabitable, simply that there will still be work happening around them as we proceed, and will need to be looked at by structural engineers before being released,’ the mayor said.
RM Palmer said they were ‘devastated’ by the news of the explosion, and said they would focus on helping the families of their employees.
‘We are sincerely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all of the first responders and for the support of the Reading community, which has been home to our business for more than 70 years,’ the company said.
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