PHILADELPHIA — At least two people were killed and five people remain missing after an explosion at a West Reading chocolate factory Friday afternoon that sent a column of black smoke into the sky and rattled the windows of homes four blocks away.
It’s not clear what caused the explosion, said L. Paul Vezzetti, a spokesman for Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which was notified of the explosion around 5 p.m. Friday and is assisting with the aftermath. The company, R.M. Palmer, specializes in hollow chocolate Easter bunnies; the explosion occurred just two weeks before Easter.
While Vezzetti told The Inquirer Saturday morning that five people had died in the explosion and six were still missing, local officials disputed those numbers in a morning news conference, saying that they could confirm only that two people had died and five were still missing.
