WASHINGTON – Sami Ibraham: As many as 50 people may have been killed in an explosion on Sunday at a US energy plant in Connecticut, a hospital spokesman told media, adding the search and rescue operation were underway.
"The reports vary from a few, several to possibly as many as 50 dead," Brian Albert from the Middlesex hospital, which was treating several of those injured in the blast, told media.
"They are in the process of search and rescue," Albert said, adding the Middlesex was currently treating six patients and one other had been transferred to the nearby Hartford hospital.
More than 100 emergency service units, including fire, police and emergency management, were responding, he said.
Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, about 15 miles from Hartford, Connecticut, said it was receiving patients from the blast, which occurred about 11:30 am (local time) at the Kleen Power Plant.
The plant's general manager, Gordon Holk, confirmed the blast caused casualties, but wasn't sure how many.
Middletown, a college town, is 23 miles (37 km) south of the city of Hartford. Emergency vehicles and at least one helicopter were called to the scene.
The explosion was felt in neighboring towns as far away as East Haven, a distance of 30 miles (48 km), and black smoke was visible for miles (km) around.
A plant official told a local television the facility was a 620 megawatt gas-fired power plant.
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Connecticut gas plant explodes, 2 reported dead
07 Feb 2010 19:54:36 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Tests being run at time of plant explosion
* Earthquake-like blast felt for miles around (Adds details, governor response)
By Michelle McLaughlin
MIDDLETOWN, Conn , Feb 7 (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday when a massive explosion rocked a gas power plant under construction in Connecticut, police said.
Ambulances from across the region and several helicopters rushed to the scene of the Kleen Energy Systems LLC plant on the banks of the Connecticut River.
Officer Kevin White of Middletown Police said there were "mass casualties" but could not be precise. Firefighter Cliff Seifert confirmed numerous casualties.
Medical rescue personnel said two people were confirmed dead and at least 100 injured, four critically, according to the Hartford Courant newspaper website.
Eyewitnesses reported flames shooting up and black smoke billowing after the blast shattered the Sunday-morning calm.
A fire official said 51 construction workers were believed to be on site at the time. Some might still be trapped under the rubble, and a search-and-rescue team was trying to find them, he said.
There was no further danger to the public, the official told reporters. Local hospitals were on mass casualty alert.
The explosion happened just before 11:30 a.m. (16:30 GMT) during tests at the site, a 620 megawatt gas-fired power plant which was due to come online in the summer.
Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell was on her way to Middletown and had activated the state emergency operations center in Hartford, the state capital, her office said.
The Department of Public Health was providing tents for medical triage and shelter with temperatures hovering near freezing point and a brisk wind.
Middletown, a college town, is 23 miles (37 km) south of Hartford.
Residents felt the blast, which some said hit with the force of an earthquake, for miles.
"The whole house shook. I didn't know what it was, whether it was the house or the water heater or what. Everything shook," said Cornelia Hull, who lives about a mile (0.6 km) from the plant.
Some local residents reported windows blown out by the force of the explosion.
The blast was felt as far away as East Haven, a distance of 30 miles (48 km).
"I felt the ground shake and thought a tree had fallen nearby," said Ethan Goller, who at the time was working in his garage in Ivoryton, 20 miles (12 km) from Middletown.
Publicly available information compiled during the Kleen Energy plant approval process said that plant would operate on natural gas using a combined cycle turbine.
Such turbines reuse waste heat produced in the power generation process, increasing the plant's efficiency.
Contracting firm O&G Industries Inc. of Torrington, Connecticut, is overseeing all local, state, and federal permitting, engineering, and construction. (Reporting by Alan Elsner, Doina Chiacu, Toni Clarke, Dan Trotta, Ros Krasny, and Bryson Hull; Writing by Alan Elsner; Editing by xx)
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