Police: 2 dead, 9 missing in Pennsylvania chocolate factory blast

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania Friday evening has killed two people and left several others missing as investigators begin to determine a cause. West Reading Borough Police Department Chief of Police Wayne Holben confirmed there were two fatalities, nine people missing and several others injured by the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading.

The explosion at 4:57 p.m. resulted in the destruction of a building at the facility and damage to a neighboring building at the facility about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Holden says the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

A spokesperson says eight people were taken to Reading Hospital Friday evening.