US Steel plant explosion in Pennsylvania leaves 1 dead and 10 injured
US Steel's Clairton Coke Works plant following an explosion on Monday
- Published
An explosion killed one person and injured ten others at the US Steel Clairton plant outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday, officials say.
The Allegheny County police department confirmed the death.
At a press conference, local emergency responders and police said they had located one of the two people unaccounted for and were still searching for the final missing person among the rubble.
Officials said they still do not know the cause of the explosion, and have requested locals keep their windows closed against the thick smoke.
Governor Josh Shapiro posted on social media that the state's emergency management services and police had been deployed to the plant.
US Senator John Fetterman wrote on X that he was also at the scene and witnessed "an active search and rescue underway."
The plant is a major producer of coke, a coal-based fuel used in the production of steel. About 1,300 employees work at the facility, according to US Steel.
David B Burritt, President and CEO of US Steel, said in a statement. that the company was "working closely with relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the incident".
He later told reporters at the press conference that "the plant is stable" but "it is still an active investigation."
"It's just a sad day for Clairton," Mayor Richard Lattanzi told CBS News, BBC's US media partner.
Clairton Coke Works has been dogged by pollution concerns throughout its history and has had to pay millions of dollars in fines, penalties, and settlements in recent years.
The plant's owner, US Steel, was fined nearly $2m (£1.5m) last year by the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) , externalfor processing and equipment issues with its coking ovens.
The ACHD also fined US Steel $2.2m in 2023 for exceeding Pennsylvania's standards on hydrogen sulfide emissions from the Clairton plant, and ordered them to provide officials with a plan to comply with state standards.
In 2022, Pennsylvania health officials fined US Steel $4.7m after it found the plant was not using a pollution control device for its coke pushing.