The death toll now stands at seven in the wake of a powerful explosion at an R.M. Palmer Company chocolate factory in a small Pennsylvania town last Friday.
It is still unknown what caused the blast, which sparked a fire and covered the streets of West Reading, Pennsylvania, with clouds of thick smoke on March 24. The town is home to about 4,500 people.
Over the weekend, rescue crews worked around the clock looking for any possible survivors.
“Due to the violence of the explosion and the amount of time that has passed, the chance of finding survivors is decreasing rapidly,” Fire Chief Chad Moyer told CBS News as efforts were underway.
As of late Sunday night, all of those inside of the plant when it exploded had been accounted for.
None of the bodies recovered from the site have been publicly identified as of yet.
“Please be patient and respectful as we work with the county to get the families information, closure, and resources for now and the foreseeable future,” said the mayor of West Reading, Samantha Kaag, in a statement Sunday night, per CBS News.
Similarly, not much is known about those injured in the blast. A total of eight people were admitted to Reading Hospital, a representative told CBS News.
Kaag, who is also a firefighter, speculated that the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak, per the Washington Examiner.
A spokesperson for the local gas company, UGI Utilities, said that there had been no reports of a gas leak in the week before the explosion, per CBS News.
Some residents living nearby reported that the blast had caused damage to their windows. As a precaution, the authorities have shut down three other buildings around the factory pending an inspection of their structural integrity by engineers, per WFAA.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) traveled to the site of the explosion on Saturday. Accompanied by Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield, he pledged support from the state to assist the victims and the town.
“Our hearts break for the families of those who didn’t come home. As West Reading continues to confront this tragedy this morning, the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stands with this community,” said Shapiro in a statement, per Fox 43.
R.M. Palmer, which fabricates confections such as chocolate rabbits, released an official statement regarding the explosion on its website.
“We have lost close friends and colleagues, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all who have been impacted. We are sincerely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all of the first responders and for the support of the Reading community, which has been home to our business for more than 70 years,” the statement read.
