Search begins for clues in deadly Pa. explosion – Bloomberg

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — As the search for five victims of a massive explosion that rocked a Pennsylvania neighborhood reached its grim conclusion, the search for clues about what caused the disaster was in its beginning stages.

Wednesday’s explosion in Allentown involved an underground gas main that lacked shut-off valves. It took utility workers five hours of punching through ice, asphalt and concrete to seal the 12-inch main.

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said four bodies were recovered — a 4-month-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, a 69-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man. Cadaver dogs found the fifth victim, a 74-year-old woman, in the rubble Thursday night.

In all, 47 homes were damaged, and eight appeared to be a total loss.