Home » News » Two persons killed and nine others missing following an explosion at a Chocolate Factory.

Two persons killed and nine others missing following an explosion at a Chocolate Factory.

UNITED STATES

Chocolate factory explosion leaves two dead and nine missing

The explosion occurred late Friday afternoon and could be due to a gas leak. The factory was “virtually razed to the ground”.

Posted

The factory “was almost razed to the ground, unfortunately. There is not much that can be salvaged from the building,” said Samantha Kaag, Mayor of West Reading.

via REUTERS

In the United States, two people were killed and nine are missing after an explosion occurred on Friday evening at a chocolate confectionery factory in Pennsylvania. The incident occurred at the RM Palmer Company factory in West Reading, northwest of Philadelphia, just before 5 p.m. local time (10 p.m. in Switzerland), local television station WFMZ reported.

Along with the two dead and nine missing, six people were transported to medical facilities, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) said. The factory “was almost razed to the ground, unfortunately. There is not much that can be salvaged from the building,” said Samantha Kaag, Mayor of West Reading.

Television footage showed a fire raging through the rubble after the explosion, as firefighters tried to put it out.

Gas leak?

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, authorities said. The hypothesis of a gas leak was raised by PEMA. According to its website, RM Palmer had been producing chocolates in this factory since 1948 for celebrations, such as bunnies for Easter or hearts for Valentine’s Day.

(AFP)

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.