Two people have been killed and nine injured when a gas explosion ripped through a Christian private school in Minneapolis, starting a fire and causing a building to collapse.
The body of a school employee who had been missing for most of Wednesday after the blast at Minnehaha Academy was recovered that evening, Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel told a news conference.
Fruetel declined to identify either victim pending notification of next of kin.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the remains removed earlier in the day belonged to Ruth Berg, a 47-year-old receptionist at the school who was engaged to be married.
Family members earlier told local news channel KARE that John Carlson, an 81-year-old custodian, was missing and that no one had been able to reach him.
The nine people who were injured were taken to local hospitals, and one was in critical condition, Fruetel said.
Authorities say there are early indications that a ruptured gas line may have led to the explosion and that it was caused by contractors working at the school. The academy confirmed on Facebook that there had been a gas leak and explosion at its Upper School.
"This is a day of extraordinary heartbreak in Minneapolis," Mayor Betsy Hodges told the news conference.
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