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| Explosion ‘like thunder’ at Pennsylvania US Steel plant leaves at least one dead | Explosion ‘like thunder’ at Pennsylvania US Steel plant leaves at least one dead |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Two people missing and several injured as rescue operation under way at coking facility in Clairton | |
| One person has died and two are believed to be unaccounted for after an explosion at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, officials said. | |
| An Allegheny county emergency services spokesperson, Kasey Reigner, said multiple other people were treated for injuries. | |
| Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny county, told local news station TribLive that “a search-and-rescue operation” was under way after the blast. | Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny county, told local news station TribLive that “a search-and-rescue operation” was under way after the blast. |
| “It felt like thunder,” Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. “Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it’s like something bad happened.” | “It felt like thunder,” Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. “Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it’s like something bad happened.” |
| The Allegheny county emergency services said a fire at the plant in Clairton started at about 10.51am and that at least five people had been taken to area hospitals. The agency did not provide any more details on those people transported and would only say it was an “active scene”. | |
| Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said in a statement on X: “My administration is in touch with local officials in Clairton … as they respond to an explosion at US Steel Clairton Coke Works plant [Monday] morning.” | |
| He said Pennsylvania’s emergency management agency and its state police were in “touch with first responders and have offered all assistance”. | |
| The Democratic Pennsylvania US senator John Fetterman, who formerly served as the mayor of nearby Braddock, called the explosion “absolutely tragic” and vowed to support steelworkers in the aftermath.“I grieve for these families,” Fetterman said. “I stand with the steelworkers.” | The Democratic Pennsylvania US senator John Fetterman, who formerly served as the mayor of nearby Braddock, called the explosion “absolutely tragic” and vowed to support steelworkers in the aftermath.“I grieve for these families,” Fetterman said. “I stand with the steelworkers.” |
| Clairton’s mayor, Richard Lattanzi, said his heart went out to the victims of the explosion. “The mill is such a big part of Clairton,” he said. “It’s just a sad day for Clairton.” | Clairton’s mayor, Richard Lattanzi, said his heart went out to the victims of the explosion. “The mill is such a big part of Clairton,” he said. “It’s just a sad day for Clairton.” |
| The Clairton Coke Works, a huge industrial facility along the Monongahela River about 20 miles (32km) south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America. | The Clairton Coke Works, a huge industrial facility along the Monongahela River about 20 miles (32km) south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America. |
| The plant, which is part of US Steel and more than 120 years old, bakes coal at high temperatures into a pure carbon form that is then used in blast furnaces to turn iron ore into liquid iron used to make steel. | |
| The Clairton plant supplies coke to US Steel’s mill in Gary, Indiana, and has previously been subject to concerns about safety and pollution. | The Clairton plant supplies coke to US Steel’s mill in Gary, Indiana, and has previously been subject to concerns about safety and pollution. |
| In February, a problem with a battery at the plant led to a “buildup of combustible material” that ignited, causing an audible “boom”, the Allegheny county health department said. Two workers who got material in their eyes received first aid treatment at a local hospital but were not seriously injured. | |
| In 2019, it agreed to settle a 2017 lawsuit for $8.5m. Under the settlement, the company agreed to spend $6.5m to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors from the plant. | In 2019, it agreed to settle a 2017 lawsuit for $8.5m. Under the settlement, the company agreed to spend $6.5m to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors from the plant. |
| In June, US Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized a “historic partnership”. The deal came a year and a half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15bn buyout of the US steelmaker. | |
| The deal was approved with a caveat issued by Donald Trump in a June executive order, in which the president said he “reserved my authority to issue further orders with respect to the purchasers or US Steel as shall in my judgment be necessary to protect the national security of the United States”. | The deal was approved with a caveat issued by Donald Trump in a June executive order, in which the president said he “reserved my authority to issue further orders with respect to the purchasers or US Steel as shall in my judgment be necessary to protect the national security of the United States”. |
| The Associated Press contributed reporting | The Associated Press contributed reporting |