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Rescuers are continuing to search for four people who are missing after an explosion at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory killed three people.
Crews continued to search for debris using police dogs and imaging equipment after an explosion at the RM Palmer plant in West Reading, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, just before 5 p.m. Friday.
West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holborn said the death toll rose after a third body was found at the scene on Saturday. The Berks County medical examiner and coroner also confirmed three deaths.
“Because of the magnitude of the explosion and the passage of time, the chances of finding survivors are rapidly diminishing,” he said. “However, please rest assured that our primary objective is to locate and reunite all missing persons with their loved ones.”
Earlier, Mr Holborn said people had been pulled from the rubble overnight, which “offers hope that others may still be found”.
During the careful removal of debris, police dogs and imaging equipment were used to look for signs of life, officials said.
The explosion destroyed one building and damaged neighboring buildings. Mr Holborn said roads near the site would be closed until 8am on Monday.
Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the blast site: “It was very flat. There were buildings in front of it, including churches and apartments, and the explosion was so loud that the building moved four feet forward. .”
Crews were called after the explosion caused a gas leak to fuel the fire, UGI Utilities said.
UGI spokesman Joseph Swope said: “We had not received any calls regarding the gas leak or gas orders prior to the incident, but we are cooperating with the investigation and part of this will be to inspect all facilities in our vicinity. .”
In a statement late Saturday, RM Palmer said everyone at the company was “shocked by the tragic events” and “focused on supporting our employees and their families”.
“We have lost a dear friend and colleague and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all those affected,” the company said, thanking first responders for their “extraordinary efforts” and the Reading community for their support , “This has been the seat of our business for over 70 years”.
It added that it would “provide additional information and get in touch with staff, affected families and communities as soon as possible”.
People were asked to back off about a block in each direction, but no evacuations were ordered, Mayor Kaag said. She issued an emergency declaration simply to give first responders more resources.
Borough Manager Dean Murray said some residents had been displaced from damaged apartment buildings.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who visited the site with the agency’s director of emergency management, vowed that “any and all federal resources will be needed to support the ongoing recovery efforts, in addition to the substantial assets already deployed.”
He said a team of structural engineers and search and rescue dogs from the state’s Urban Rescue Task Force had been assisting, with more arriving on Saturday. A state police fire chief is also assisting with the investigation, he said.
“The silver lining of all of this is that someone was found alive, someone was found alive, but in the rubble, it wasn’t known if they were alive or dead, luckily we found that person, they had a second chance, Let’s hope and pray we’ll find more,” he said.
Frank Gonzalez stood on a hill overlooking the blast site, watching as the debris was cleared away. He said his sister, Diana Cedeno, who was working at the factory when the blast occurred, was also among those missing.
“It’s not good. It’s just stressful waiting, not knowing,” he said, expressing his frustration at what he sees as a lack of communication from authorities about the search. “We’re constantly reaching out, bugging, keeping her name alive in case she’s out there saying her name.”
He said his sister has two grown children, one of whom was sent overseas. She has a side job decorating parties and has been studying ministry at her church, he said.
Mr. Gonzalez said his son and nephew also worked at the plant, but his son quit months ago “because he said he didn’t like the smell of gas”.
Frank DeJesus said his stepdaughter Arelis Rivera Santiago, a Palmer employee, was working in the building next door when the blast occurred.
The ceiling caved in and she had to crawl under the machinery to get out, he said.
He added that he arrived to find her “shaking and crying hysterically” while she was still too shaken to talk about what had happened.
He said factory employees, including his stepdaughter, complained about smelling gas all day Friday.
“Everyone complained about smelling gas and they’ve been working hard,” he said. “The supervisor told them it was nothing. It was being taken care of.”
A message was earlier sent to RM Palmer seeking comment on the explosion.
“It sounded like a bomb went off,” he recalls. “I mean, all our houses shook. I’ve never heard such a loud explosion in my life.”
He and his neighbors immediately ran to the street, facing thick black smoke.
At first, Mr Olexy thought it was a train derailment due to nearby tracks. Then he learned that it was the Palmer factory, which he called the West Reading facility.
“Everybody knows Palmer’s,” he said.
RM Palmer has been producing chocolate novelties since 1948 and currently employs 850 people at its West Reading headquarters, according to its website.
Its Facebook page included advertisements earlier this month for Easter treats such as chocolate bunnies and its “newest milk chocolate hollows” from its “bunny family,” filled with jelly beans.
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