The two remains of those who were missing following an explosion at a chocolate factory in eastern Pennsylvania have been found, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven.
At the RM Palmer Co. plant in West Reading, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia, an explosion occurred on Friday afternoon.
The last two remains were found, according to mayor Samantha Kaag, who also stated that no names of the deceased will be released until authorities are assured that all families have been reached.
“Please appreciate that this is a sad loss, but we are very grateful to bring closure to the families affected in the coming days,” she stated in response.
Three buildings around the site will be condemned as a precaution, she said.
She added: ‘This does not mean they are slated for demolition or uninhabitable.’
‘Simply that there will still be work happening around them as we proceed and they will need to be looked at further by structural engineers.’
Moment chocolate factory explodes in Pennsylvania blast that killed seven people
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One woman was pulled alive from the rubble on Saturday after being found by a search dog.
Liz Soto witnessed the explosion and is desperately trying to find a friend who works at the plant.
She told FOX 29: ’She went to work, she’s confirmed to have gone to work, but we don’t know anything about her.’
Ms Soto also described a ‘loud noise, like a roaring sound’ in the seconds before the explosion.
Reading Hospital said it received 10 patients and transferred two to other facilities, while two others were admitted in good and fair condition respectively and the others had been discharged.
A statement from RM Palmer said everyone at the company was ‘devastated’ and it was reaching out to employees and their families through first responders and disaster recovery organisations because its communication systems were down.
Governor Josh Shapiro vowed support from the state when he visited the scene on Saturday.
Fire investigators are continuing to examine the scene to try to determine the cause of the blast.