&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Catastrophic' blast rips through Pennsylvania nursing home, 2 dead, 5 residents still missing")
A powerful explosion tore through a nursing home in eastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday (Dec 23), killing at least two people and leaving several others unaccounted for, officials said, as rescue teams worked through the wreckage amid fears of more victims. The blast struck the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, triggering what authorities described as a partial structural collapse.
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What happened?
At the Silver Lake Nursing Home, a "catastrophic" explosion on Tuesday demolished a part of the building. Emergency officials believe a gas leak may have caused the explosion, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed the deaths during a press briefing, saying, "At this time, there are at least two fatalities. We know that there are some number of individuals still missing". He added that search and rescue operations were continuing.
Fire crews arriving at the scene reported a strong smell of gas shortly before the explosion. Praising first responders, Shapiro said firefighters "were quite literally climbing up ladders, handing individuals in this nursing home to police, who were at times carrying two people on their backs to safety."
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Kevin Dippolito, the Bristol Township fire chief, said there was "a heavy odour of gas" when firefighters arrived and that the blast caused parts of the first floor to collapse into the basement, trapping residents inside. "There was a major structural collapse, with parts of the first floor [falling] into the basement, with persons trapped," he said.
"They pulled many residents out of the building via windows, doors, stuck in stairwells, stuck in elevator shafts," Dippolito added.
How many are still missing?
According to Bristol Township Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito, five people remain missing, but he emphasised that the number was preliminary and could change as the search continued. "We are still in rescue mode until we know the building is clear," he said.
Shapiro noted that the nursing home had recently changed ownership and that state health inspectors had visited the facility earlier this month. He said inspectors had met with staff on December 10 to discuss plans to bring the home up to updated safety standards.
