At least two dead in explosion at Pennsylvania steel plant, authorities say

An explosion at a U.S. Steel plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania, killed two people and injured at least 10 more Monday, authorities said after rescuers spent hours sifting through the plant’s rubble.

Witnesses described feeling a shock wave and then seeing black smoke spew into the sky shortly before 11 a.m. Part of a building appeared to have been sheared off, and debris littered the area.

Rescuers had found one survivor hours after the explosion, Monday afternoon, and were able to take that person to a hospital as the search continued for one other missing person. That effort ended late on Monday with the discovery of a second body.

Few details were available on the extent of injuries or what caused the explosion near the northern end of the Clairton plant, a sprawling facility covering hundreds of acres along a milelong bend of the Monongahela River, about 15 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh.

Neither victim was identified by authorities Monday, though U.S. Steel said earlier that one of the fatalities was a worker at the plant.

Scott Buckiso, an executive vice president and chief manufacturing officer at the company, said the explosion happened at two coke oven batteries that had appeared to be in good condition before the blast.

Earlier in the day, officials had estimated that dozens of people had been hurt.

The county health department for several hours urged people within 1 mile of the explosion to remain indoors but later lifted the order, saying air quality monitors showed the air remained safe.

A spokesperson for the Allegheny Health Network said that two of its trauma center hospitals had received one patient each.

Five more patients were taken to the network’s hospital that is closest to the scene, and all were released within a few hours. Three additional patients were taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Bernie Hall, who leads the United Steelworkers union in Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the union would seek a “thorough investigation” and provide its members with support.

The Allegheny County Police Department said its homicide unit would be leading the investigation with help from the county fire marshal and federal authorities.

U.S. Steel said in a statement that the company was working with authorities to determine what had caused the disaster.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.