Explosion was the result of a gas leak that occurred while testing lines
RMS issued the following statement concerning the Connecticut plant explosion.
At around 11:30 am EST on Sunday, 7 February a large explosion occurred at a gas power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, northeastern US; approximately 14 miles (22km) south of the state capital of Hartford.
Early reports indicate that five people have been killed and twelve others injured, although it is feared that total casualty figures will be much higher as up to fifty construction workers were in the section of the plant where the explosion occurred. Search squads have yet to enter the wreckage. Initial media reports of 250 injured in the blast have been retracted.
The explosion at the power plant, of Kleen Energy Systems, is thought to have been the result of a gas leak which occurred when the lines were being tested - though this has yet to be confirmed. The power plant has been under construction from February 2008, and was scheduled to start supplying energy in June 2010. It is reported that the force of the blast was so strong that it could be felt 30 miles (48 km) away. The blast has left a large section of the plant blackened, with sheets of metal peeling off its sides. However the building, its roof and two smoke stacks are still standing. Reports indicate that the windows of a nearby hospital were blown out and other nearby homes exhibited some damage in terms of broken windows and cracks in roofs, however no one has been evacuated.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was not investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.
