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A team of investigators searched Monday for the cause of a massive explosion that killed at least five workers at an unfinished energy plant in the northeastern United States.

Safety concerns forced rescuers to abandon overnight searches for any survivors who may still be under the rubble after the blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant near Middletown in the state of Connecticut.

Deputy fire marshal Al Santostefano told AFP beams were erected to support the damaged structures at the plant so the rescue operation could be relaunched with sniffer dogs on hand to help locate any trapped survivors.

"We are still not sure how many people were there yesterday. There are quite a few different contractors," he said, adding that the toll for now was unchanged at five dead and 12 injured.

In Washington, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had arrived on site to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

"The safety and health of workers is of paramount importance to me and to the US Department of Labor," Solis assured.

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) also said it would send a seven-person team to the blast site. The team was expected on the scene later Monday, the independent investigative agency said in a statement.

"The CSB's investigative team will examine the activities that were ongoing at the time of this accident, including any gas purging, as indicated by initial media reports," lead investigator Don Holmstrom added.

Authorities have ruled out terrorism as the cause of the blast shortly before midday Sunday, which was so strong it broke the windows of nearby residential buildings and caused a tremor that shook houses miles (kilometers) away.

It was said to have occurred during a test procedure on one of the gas pipes at the giant billion-dollar complex that had been due to go online later this year.

Rescue workers helped by search dogs scoured the rubble late Sunday at the plant where a brief but fierce fire following the accident sent flames and black smoke billowing skyward.

"There was like a fireball going up and a lot of smoke. The explosion was strong enough to break one of our windows. Our neighbors had also their windows destroyed," said Scott Harmann, 44, whose father lives in a house just across the Connecticut River from the plant.

Nearby resident Mike Woronoff said he heard "a loud boom" at his house some two miles (three kilometers) from the 620-megawatt plant.

"I have friends that live 15 miles from here that called me because they could hear it. Then we could see the smoke. It went on for a mile and a half, then stopped," he said.

There had been some uncertainty as to the final toll because contractors from several companies working on the site did not immediately have rosters of those present.

A Middletown fire official said it was "initially thought there was approximately 50 employees" there at the time and that "it's unknown how many people are missing."

But Sebastian Giuliano, the mayor of Middletown, said in a statement Monday that "all employees who were supposed to be on site have been accounted for."

Still, "officials have not made access to all areas of the building and therefore we can not release with certainty that no further fatalities or injuries will be discovered," the mayor stressed.

The American Red Cross set up a phone number for concerned relatives.

Story from AFP
AFP 02/08/2010 22:00

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