full screen Two firefighters contemplate the devastation after the explosion in Plum, Pennsylvania. Photo: Samuel Long/AP/TT
Five people, including a minor, died in a powerful explosion in the state of Pennsylvania on Saturday. Three more people had to be taken to hospital, one of them is seriously injured.
Three houses were destroyed and a dozen injured when something exploded in Plum, outside Pittsburgh, and emergency services worked into Sunday to try to find injured or, in the worst case, more dead. 57 firefighters received treatment for injuries they sustained on the job.
Exactly what has happened is still unclear and the fire brigade warns that it may take several months before the matter is clarified.