4th Body Found After Maryland Apartment Explosion
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - A fourth body was recovered after an explosion and fire at an apartment complex in Maryland, authorities said Sunday as firefighters continued to comb through the rubble to search for several others who remain missing.
The explosion late Wednesday night sent debris hundreds of feet, and people more than a mile away reported the blast was strong enough to shake their homes. Two bodies were recovered Thursday and another one was found Friday.
Eight people remain unaccounted for, including two children, the Montgomery County Police Department said. The department said it believes the bodies that have been found are those of four of the eight unaccounted-for people.
The victims haven't been identified and the cause of the explosion remains under investigation, officials said.
The extent of the damage the building suffered has slowed the recovery process, officials say. The county's acting fire chief, David Steckel, told reporters Sunday that the building is unstable and 55 firefighters are working on the scene, The Washington Post reported.
"We would like to do this more quickly. We just simply can't. It's too dangerous," Steckel said.
Authorities identified the people who are missing as: Saeda Ibrahim, age 41; Augusto Jimenez Sr., age 62; Maria Auxiliadorai Castellon-Martinez, age 53; Aseged Mekonen, age 34; Deibi "David" Samir Lainez Morales, age 8; Oscar Armando Ochoa, age 55; Fernando Josue Hernandez Orellana, age 3; Saul Paniagua, age 65.
The Montgomery County Police Department said those people are believed to be in one of the apartment buildings at the time of the explosion. The department said detectives haven't been able to confirm that Ochoa was in the building at the time of the fire. Authorities are urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of those missing to contact law enforcement.
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