More than five employees were reported killed and 12 others injured Sunday in a massive gas explosion that tore apart an uncompleted natural gas-fired power plant being built by Kleen Energy Systems LP in Middletown, in the New England state of Connecticut.
The explosion occurred while there were about 100 persons inside testing some recently-completed upgrades to the facility. The blast occurred around 11:30 a.m. (1630 GMT) local time, said Fire Department Commissioner Bill Gregory.
Officials said they did not yet have the exact number of persons in the plant at the time of the explosion, and, therefore, they could not immediately account for everyone who might have been present at that site when the tragedy occurred.
"We know that 12 individuals were injured. Five of them are known to have lost their lives," Sebastian Giuliano, the mayor of Middletown, told a news conference. Ruling out terrorism, he added the accident occurred when a test was being conducted.
The plant, located in the southern part of Connecticut, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) south of Hartford, is a natural gas-fired, 620-megawatt facility being built to supply electricity to Northeast Utilities' Connecticut Light & Power under a 15-year power purchase agreement, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.
O&G Industries, a closely-held company based in Torrington, Connecticut, is the contractor of the project. Houston-based Spectra Energy Corp.'s Algonquin Gas Transmission Co., is the gas supplier, while Siemens Power Generation has manufactured the plant's turbines.
Energy Investors Funds Group owns a majority stake in Kleen Energy Systems that raised more than $4 billion to invest in over 100 power plants in 30 states, and has offices located in New York, Boston and San Francisco, says the company's Web site.
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