Investigators hunt cause of giant US blast

MIDDLETOWN, Connecticut (AFP) - 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 US.
Safety concerns forced rescuers to abandon overnight efforts to sift through the rubble and track down an unknown number of people still unaccounted for after the blast at the plant near Middletown in the state of Connecticut.
Deputy fire marshall Al Santostefano told AFP beams were being 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.
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 huge that is broke the windows of nearby residential buildings and shook houses kilometers away.