 "Explosion tears through Pennsylvania nursing home, kills at least 2, several missing")
Emergency services rushed to a nursing home just outside Philadelphia on Tuesday after a massive explosion tore through the building, killing at least two people and trapping residents inside, authorities said. A portion of the building collapsed, and multiple agencies from Pennsylvania and New Jersey are responding.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference several hours after the incident that at least two people had died. He said emergency responders entered the building despite flames, a strong smell of gas and a second explosion to evacuate residents and staff. Fire officials said they remained in “rescue mode” five hours later, with crews digging by hand and using search dogs, earth-moving equipment and sonar to locate possible victims.
The blast occurred at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township, at a time when a utility crew had been on site investigating a gas leak. Part of the building collapsed, and a plume of black smoke rose as fire engines and ambulances from across the region arrived, supported by heavy machinery.
Authorities assess casualties and damage
Bucks County spokesperson Jim O’Malley said multiple agencies from Pennsylvania and New Jersey were responding to the scene. Authorities did not identify those who died and said the total number of injured remained unclear, as residents and employees were taken to several hospitals.
At a Tuesday evening news conference, town fire chief Kevin Dippolito said five people were still unaccounted for, while cautioning that some may have left with family members. He described a chaotic rescue effort in which firefighters found people trapped in stairwells and elevator shafts, and pulled residents from the burning building through windows and doors. Two people were rescued from a collapsed section of the structure, he said.
Shapiro urged residents to pause and pray “for this community, for those who are still missing, for those who are injured, and for those families who are about to celebrate Christmas with an empty chair at their table.”
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