Explosion destroys Pennsylvania chocolate factory, killing five

A powerful explosion at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory known for manufacturing chocolate Easter bunnies has killed five, injured nine, and left six others missing, according to one state agency.

The deadly blast also left the facility 60 miles north-west of Philadelphia obliterated a little more than two weeks before Easter. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation on Saturday morning, but officials have said they believe it may have resulted from a gas leak, WPVI reported, and warned residents to stay away from the area.

Video posted on social media showed how the RM Palmer Company building in West Reading, Pennsylvania, exploded about 5pm on Friday.

But the exact number of people killed and missing was unclear as search efforts continued. The Pennsylvania emergency management agency said earlier Saturday that five had been killed and six were missing, but West Reading officials called that information inaccurate.

Of those hospitalized because of injuries, one was later transferred elsewhere, two were listed in fair condition, and the rest had been released after receiving medical treatment. The names of two people who were killed during the explosion had not been released to the public immediately.

The history of chocolate factories is littered with disasters. Some explosions have occurred when combustible starch dust used for shaping candies and bonbon centers has ignited.

Last month, the confectionary giant Mars Wrigley was fined more than $14,500 over a mishap in June at its M&M/Mars plant in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate.

Emergency responders were able to free the pair by cutting a hole in the bottom of the tank, according to reports.