Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion: Death toll rises to three, search on to find missing persons

The death toll in thechocolate factory explosionin West Reading, Pennsylvania, rose to threeeven as officials scramble to find six missing persons since Saturday, Fox News reported.

At a press conference on Friday, West Reading police chief Wayne Holben said the explosion at approximately 5 pmdamaged one building and destroyed another at the R.M. Palmer Company chocolate plant.

West Reading is located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Officials saidthat the explosion rattled homes blocks away and sent a massive plume of smoke into the air.

The police on Saturday said that they are looking into the cause of the explosion, however, they believe that it mayhave resulted from a gas leak, local media reported.Residents have been warned to stay away from the area.

Less than an hour before the news conference, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) reported that five persons had been killed in the explosion and six more were missing. However, West Reading officials are contending against these figures. “We can confirm our numbers for now,” Chief Holben said.

“The explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward,” Mayor Samantha Kaag, who is also a firefighter, said at the news conference on Friday. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great scene to come into. It was pretty scary.”

Chief Holben stated on Friday that there was no threat to the neighbourhood, but the police were advising residents to stay away from the spot. According to him, a command centre had been established to organise the local and state authorities responding to the incident.

According to its website, 1948-founded R.M. Palmer employs 850 people and is well-known for its seasonal chocolates, which include hollow milk chocolate bunnies for Easter. The business was described as "a staple of the borough" by Dean Murray, manager of the West Reading borough.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved,” he said.

Kristen Wisniewski who lives in the neighbourhood of the chocolate plant reportedly said, "It was the loudest thing I've ever heard in my life." "It literally felt like the ground fell out from underneath you. The whole house shook and my dogs froze, they couldn't move, it was scary."

(With inputs from agencies)

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