Explosion at Florida jail
Published:Friday | May 2, 2014 | 12:00 AM
FLORIDA, (AP)
A gas explosion at the jail in Pensacola, Florida, killed two people and injured more than 100 others, according to an Escambia County spokeswoman.
The explosion happened around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, in a booking facility at the Escambia County Jail, said Kathleen Castro, the county's public information manager. The blast also injured 100 to 150 inmates and corrections officers and caused the building to partially collapse.
She said about 600 inmates were in the building at the time.
Castro said she didn't know if flooding in the area was a factor but said the jail did get extensive flooding during heavy rains that drenched the region Tuesday and Wednesday.
The injured were brought to hospitals and the uninjured inmates were brought to jails in neighbouring counties, Castro said.
- AP