An explosion blew apart a power plant under construction as workers purged natural gas lines Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring a dozen or more in a blast that shook homes for miles.
At least 12 people were injured in the explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, Conn., about 20 miles south of Hartford. Crews with dogs were still searching the rubble for survivors as darkness fell over the plant, overlooking the Connecticut River.
It wasn’t clear how many people, if any, were still buried. Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told The Associated Press that 50 to 60 people were in the area at the time of the explosion, but authorities said multiple contractors were working on the project, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people were missing.
“I think a majority of them did survive,” Santostefano said. “Most of them did walk away.”
The explosion happened about 11:17 a.m., he said. Mayor Sebastian Giuliano called it a gas explosion but said the exact cause wasn’t immediately clear.
“It felt almost like a sonic boom,” Giuliano said at an evening news conference.
The search was focusing in part on who was at the plant at the time of the explosion. Giuliano said 100 to 200 workers would have been there on a typical weekday.
“They’re trying to figure out who was on the job today, and where are they now?” Giuliano said.
The 620-megawatt plant is being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas. Santostefano said workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a “blow-down,” when the explosion occurred.
The building was still standing, but the blast blew out the sheet metal that covers its sides.
Lynn Hawley, 54, of Hartland, Conn., told The Associated Press that her son, Brian Hawley, 36, is a pipefitter at the plant. He called her from his cell phone to say he was being rushed to Middlesex Hospital.
“He really couldn’t say what happened to him,” she said. “He was in a lot of pain, and they got him into surgery as quickly as possible.”
She said he had a broken leg and was expected to survive.
Officials had not released the conditions of the other injured people by Sunday evening, although they said at least a dozen people had injuries ranging from minor to very serious.
