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A second body was found in the rubble after a natural gas explosion took down a school building Wednesday in the midwestern U.S. state of Minnesota, authorities said.
John Fruetel, fire chief of the Minneapolis Fire Department, confirmed the fatality Wednesday night after fire crew had carried out a rescue search under a collapsed building at Minnehaha Academy's upper school in Minneapolis.
The second fatality was confirmed hours after firefighters found the first victim, who had been confirmed as one of the academy's female office employees.
The search was conducted beneath at least two floors of debris in an attempt to locate the body, the family members of whom are being contacted by the medical examiner's office.
Fruetel did not specify the identity of the body, who was earlier reportedly identified as a 81-year-old male janitor.
The chief said fire crew were searching for what was initially reported three missing persons, but one of them was later found outside the building and uninjured.
A local hospital said nine people were hospitalized, with three in critical condition, four in serious condition and two suffering minor trauma. Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said the injured were all adults, either school employees or contractors.
Fire officials confirmed the explosion was caused by a gas line ruptured by contractors working in the building, and the academy said in an earlier statement that the explosion involved a natural gas leak, which only affected the upper school, blocks away from its lower school downriver.
Founded in 1913, Minnehaha Academy is a Christian school, which had over 800 students enrolled during the 2015-2016 school year, with its upper school housing grades 9-12.
The 2017-2018 school year is scheduled to begin on Aug. 23, but there were students, teachers and coaches at the school for sport training, summer school and other activities.
A school official said about a dozen students in the school gym were all reportedly unharmed.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
