On Sunday, March 26, authorities found two more bodies, bringing the total number of people who died in the West Reading, Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion on Friday, March 24, to seven.
West Reading Police Chief Wayne Holben said that the two other people who died were among the people who were reported missing after the blast on Friday.
Since no one else was reported missing from the factory after the blast, the search at the RM Palmer Co. chocolate factory ended on Sunday.
West Reading Borough Mayor Samantha Kaag said that the explosion at 5 o’clock on Friday completely destroyed the factory.
In a statement, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said that ten people had been injured and taken to area hospitals. Authorities said they would look into what happened and believed that a natural gas leak caused the explosion.
In 1948, Richard M. Palmer, Sr. established the RM Palmer Company. At the time, he didn’t sell a lot of chocolates, but over 800 people work for the company now.
