Two people were killed and nine are missing after an explosion on Friday at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory, local media reported.
The incident occurred at the RM Palmer Company factory in West Reading just before 5pm local time (9pm GMT) on Friday, local television station WFMZ reported.
In addition to the two fatalities and the nine missing, six people were transported to medical facilities, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) told WFMZ.
The factory “unfortunately was practically flat. There isn’t much that can be salvaged from the building,” Samantha Kaag, mayor of West Reading, told a televised press conference.
Television footage showed a fire in the rubble after the blast as firefighters tried to put it out.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, officials said.
PEMA suggested that the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.
According to the website, RM Palmer has been making party chocolates at this factory since 1948, such as chocolate bunnies for Easter and chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day.
Source: DN
