The death toll from a house explosion in Missouri this week has risen to three after a woman and her three-year-old daughter succumbed to their injuries.
Myranda Gale Golden, 22, died on Friday from the injuries she sustained after her home in Wyatt, a southern city in Missouri, exploded on 15 August, the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Golden’s three-year-old daughter died a day before her mother on Thursday.
Both mother and daughter “were in critical condition and fighting for their lives” after being hospitalised on Monday, the sheriff’s office had earlier said.
The father, Corey Coleman, 23, died immediately after the blast occurred on Monday.
Officers responding to the scene on Monday said “a total of 10 victims” – including two of the girl’s younger siblings, one of who is six months old – were located.
All seven surviving members of the family are in stable condition and “undergoing treatment at various mid-west hospitals”, the sheriff’s office said.
Mississipi County Sheriff Britton Ferrell called the incident “beyond” tragic and asked the community to “plase pray for this family and everyone who was involved”.
In a statement posted on Facebook on 17 August, police said that investigators believe the explosion resulted “propane gas that filled the residence” after a leak.
“The leak is narrowed down to the gas cook stove or a gas water heater,” the local sheriff’s office continued, adding that no foul play is suspected.
There are less than 10 home explosions caused by gas leaks in Missouri annually, as per the statement.
Police officials warned residents to evacuate their building and call a utility company, if they smelled the odour of gas or rotten eggs.
