More bodies have been found as emergency crews continue to survey the site of the R.M. chocolate factory in Berks County, Pennsylvania, bringing the number of fatalities from Friday evening’s explosion to seven.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag released a statement Sunday that said two more bodies were located and that all victims have been discovered. Authorities are withholding their names at this time, she said.
“Tonight we were able to announce that all seven presumptive missing have been found — please understand that this is still a devastating loss,” she wrote. “But we are truly grateful to bring closure to the families involved in the upcoming days.”
Earlier in the day, a fifth body was pulled from the rubble, after authorities initially confirmed four people were dead, and another three were still missing.
An explosion on Friday leveled R.M. Palmer building 2 and damaged building 1, but its cause is still unknown.
At least 10 people were injured, she said.
“We did not and will not announce any names of the identified victims until we know for certain that their family has been contacted, they have had time to process, and have been able to reach out to other loved ones to let those close to them know,” a statement from the mayor read.
The mayor also said three buildings around the site of the explosion would be condemned as officials investigate what caused the explosion and how to prevent such an incident in the future. (Fox News)
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
