Gas Explosion At Conn. Plant Kills At Least 5

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The mayor of Middletown, Conn., says five people are known dead in a gas explosion at a power plant there.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano says at least 12 people are known injured from Sunday’s blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant as workers purged natural gas lines. The plant is under construction.

Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told The Associated Press before a news conference Sunday evening that crews were still searching for survivors in the rubble.

The mayor says it’s hard to tell how many people were at the plant because multiple contractors were working on it with their own employee lists.

Officials earlier said about 50 people were in the area at the time of the explosion.

Energy Investors Funds says it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the fatal explosion of the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown.

The private equity fund indirectly owns a majority share in the power plant, where at least five people died and a dozen or more were injured in an explosion Sunday.

In a statement, Energy Investors Funds offered sympathy and concern. It said it would release more information on the explosion as it becomes available.

The explosion blew apart the plant, which is under construction, as workers purged natural gas lines.