An explosion in a Minneapolis school has killed a bride-to-be, left another person missing and hospitalized nine, local authorities said.
The detonation, which occurred while construction work was taking place on the gas supply, ripped Minnehaha Academy's Upper School in half at around 10 am. It destroyed the main stairwell area and a group of classrooms for grades 9-12.
The body of one adult, identified as staff member Ruth Berg by CBS Minnesota, was pulled from the rubble at around 2:45pm. Her fiance said they were to have been married in October.
A small number of children were in the gym and on the field at the time of the explosion, but local authorities said that none students were harmed. All of those reported dead, missing or injured are adults, they said. more news and photos
Mark Burrington, Berg's fiancee, confirmed her death to CBS. There are photographs of the couple together on Facebook dating back to 2014.
Berg, 47, was a business assistant according to the school's website, but was referred to as a receptionist by some students.
Ashley Mullen, 18, told the St Paul Pioneer Press that Berg was engaged with students and would help them with morning announcements. Mullen described Berg as a 'friendly face' at the school.
Minneapolis South High School mourned Berg on its official Twitter account, saying 'Deeply saddened to learn that former South High student Ruth Berg died in today's explosion at Minnehaha Academy.'
One of Berg's friends, Dawn Amundson Wilson, posted on her Facebook page: 'I'm thankful I got to say "I love you" on Monday night. I cannot believe you are gone. You are so special. The world was better because of you. My tears are flowing, especially for Brittany. I love you forever.'
Another pal, Jacquie Sutton Strebe, wrote: 'I am so shocked and saddened. Such a beautiful woman inside and out, a fun-loving, rocking and hard-working soul, kind and funny.
'It was just a week or two ago we learned we were neighbors and promised to hang out. I wish I hadn't waited.'
Fire Chief Fruetel said that workers are now looking under two floors of rubble for the other person, who is still missing and is believed to be a construction worker. It is considered a search and rescue operation, he said.
'It's just a very precarious situation, it's very very unstable, there are no signs of [the missing person's] obvious location and we know there are probably at least two floors of debris,' he added.
Officials at the school, which is located on 3100 West River Parkway, said that all of the students - some of whom were on the field at the time, and many of whom were in the gym - had been accounted for.
The number of missing people was originally three, but that was lowered to two after one of them was found unharmed outside the building, and again once Berg's body was found.
Nine people were hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) after the explosion, three of whom were in critical condition and one of whom was treated and released.
Four of the victims were said to be in serious condition, and two had 'very minor trauma' according to Dr Jim Miner, chief of emergency services at HCMC.
Miner said that the treatments were for fractures, cuts and bruises, not burns, and that 'It could have been a lot worse.' He added: 'We were relieved, we were prepared for a lot more injuries. It was a terrible tragedy.'
There are no details about the other victims, other than they were not in critical condition.
Contractors were working on the building when the explosion occurred, fire department officials said.
Three other people were rescued from the roof of the building by the fire officials. They were school employees, a father visiting the school at the time of the explosion said. It's not clear why they were on the roof.
It's believed that the gas leak may have been caused by a ruptured gas line. Part of the brick building collapsed after the explosion, authorities said.
Becca Virden, spokeswoman for CenterPoint Energy, said that the gas supply to the school had been cut off after the explosion and that 'well-trained, experienced crews on site [are] coordinating with local emergency officials to secure the area.'
'We will conduct an investigation to determine the cause,' she added.
City of Minneapolis records obtained by the Star Tribune said Master Mechanical Inc, based around five miles away in Eagan, had obtained a permit for 'gas piping and hooking up meter' at the school.
The company had previously been fined $1,000 in 2010 for a violation related to a worker's protection from falling and $600 in 2014 for paperwork violations regarding hazard communication and an employee's right to know, paperwork said.
Jenny O'Brien, a spokeswoman for Minnesota OSHA, said neither were 'huge penalties'.
The explosion only affected the Upper School, officials said; the Lower School is several miles away and is undamaged.
Culled from daily mail.