Chocolate factory explosion in Pennsylvania: 2 killed, many injured, 9 missing

Video by The Inside Paper seen on Twitter shows a huge explosion at a West Reading, PA factory on Friday night that left a number of casualties and two dead. [See below]

NEW – Massive explosion reported in a factory that produces chocolate in Reading, Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/wqyr9Kzh9r

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper)

According to a  report by The New York Times, the explosion occurred at the R.M. Palmer Company in West Reading at around 5 p.m.

At least two employees were killed in the explosion and eight were transported to local hospitals with injuries. Worse, there are nine people missing, the report said.

The force was so massive that it shook houses several blocks away.

“I heard like a loud noise, like a roaring sound, then the house shake,” Liz Soto, who has a friend who works in the factory, told FOX 29. “She went to work, she’s confirmed to have gone to work, but we don’t know anything about her.”

Law enforcement said that the cause of the explosion is under investigation. 

“The explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward,” said Mayor Samantha Kaag. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great scene to come into. It was pretty scary.”

The 75-year-old company employs hundreds of people and is known for making seasonal chocolate candies.

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