An explosion in Youngstown, Ohio, left one person dead and seven others injured on Tuesday. A security video shows the moment the first floor of the building collapsed in the explosion.
In a Tuesday afternoon statement on social media, the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency wrote, “There has been a natural gas explosion in downtown Youngstown. The situation is fluid but under control. Please avoid the area until further notice.”
A video of Tuesday’s explosion shows the moment the explosion took place at the Realty Building in Youngstown, Ohio. According to Fox News, the building’s ground floor is utilized by a Chase Bank branch, while the upper floors are used for apartments.
According to WKBN, Tuesday’s explosion took place shortly before 3 p.m. and resulted in the first floor of the building collapsing into the basement. Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley noted that the structural integrity of the building was questionable following the explosion.
“Right now, we are in close contact with local officials to check on the safety of everyone in the building and area,” a Chase spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. “After that, we’ll work to determine what happened and to assess the damage.”
READ MORE: Explosion in Ohio; life-threatening injuries reported
Youngstown Police told WKBN that the missing body of a 27-year-old male bank employee was recovered late Tuesday night.
In a statement obtained by WKBN, Chase Bank wrote, “The JPMorgan Chase family mourns the loss of our colleague. Our hearts go out to their family as well as our injured employees, their families and other[s] affected by this tragedy. We will continue to work with local officials to support them.”
According to Fox News, the seven individuals who were injured in Tuesday’s explosion were transported to Mercy Health Hospital for medical treatment.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
