Official says fewer than 50 hurt in Conn. power plant explosion; number of deaths is unknown

Officials: Fewer than 50 hurt in Conn. explosion

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A town fire official in Connecticut says fewer than 50 people have been injured an explosion at a power plant under construction. Multiple people have died, but officials say they don’t know how many.

Al Santostefano, the deputy fire marshal in Middletown, tells The Associated Press that 50 construction workers were in the section of the power plant where the explosion happened, and some people survived, so the number of injured is fewer than 50.

Santostefano says dogs are at looking for victims in the rubble, but there are no signs of life.

He says workers were purging the gas lines at the time of the explosion.

The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell is on her way to the scene.