WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — A fifth body was recovered from the site of a massive explosion at a chocolate factory in a small eastern Pennsylvania town, and two remained undiscovered Sunday.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag said in an email to The Associated Press that the fifth body was found early Sunday by first responders and confirmed dead by the Berks County Coroner’s Office. The medical examiner could not confirm that person’s identity, Kaag said.
West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben confirmed that the body of the fourth victim was found under the rubble early Sunday morning at the RM Palmer Co. plant. in the West Reading neighborhood, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of northwest Philadelphia.
Holben appealed for continued prayers from the community and vowed that rescuers and officials “will not stop until everyone affected by this tragedy is found” by the blast, which occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Friday .
Rescue teams used thermal imaging equipment and dogs to search for possible survivors after the blast destroyed a building and damaged a nearby building. Crews were now using heavy equipment to methodically and carefully extract debris from the site, Holben said.
District Fire Chief Chad Moyer said Saturday that the chance of finding survivors was “rapidly diminishing” because of the force of the explosion and the time that had passed. Kaag said officials are “still hoping to at least get some answers and get some hoovers so people can have that certainty and that closure.”
“We’re just trying to have as much hope as we can to get the right answers, to get quality answers, to get information to those who are interested, and then let the investigation go,” Kaag said.
Officials said they had no update on the condition of a woman pulled alive from the rubble Saturday morning. Kaag said she was apparently on the second floor and was found in a “hopeful environment,” calling for rescuers despite her injuries after a dog found her.
Officials have not reported any updates on the condition of those taken to hospitals. Reading Hospital said it received 10 patients and transferred two of them to other facilities, while two others were admitted in good and fair condition, respectively, and the rest were discharged.
RM Palmer said in a statement Saturday afternoon that everyone at the company was “devastated” and that it had contacted employees and their families through first responders and disaster recovery organizations because its communications systems were down. defects.
Kaag, herself a volunteer firefighter, said rescue crews worked 12- to 16-hour shifts and were so dedicated to continuing the search that “you have to get away from it at this point” to change and you rest a little.
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the site Saturday and pledged the state’s support.
Kaag said some residents reported window damage from the blast and asked people to “walk around your house” and report any damage.
State and local fire department investigators continue to examine the scene to try to determine the cause of the explosion.
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