2 missing, 7 injured in Ohio building explosion

Associated Press

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two people were missing and seven were injured when a natural gas explosion caused extensive damage to a building in downtown Youngtown, Ohio, authorities said.

The explosion, which occurred around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, tore off the facade of the Realty Tower. Firefighters helped some people get out of the building, which houses a Chase Bank on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors.

Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley said a man and a woman were missing following the explosion. One of them is a Chase employee, he said.

The explosion caused the first floor to collapse to the basement, Finley said, and the structural integrity of the building is in question, so no firefighters were allowed in to conduct a search.

All seven injured people were transported to Mercy Health Hospital in Youngstown. A hospital spokesperson said one person was in critical condition, but did not provide further details.

A publication on the social networks of Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency said there had been a natural gas explosion and the situation was “fluid but under control.”

The explosion shook the downtown area of ​​the city of around 60,000 residents. Bricks, glass and other debris littered the sidewalk.