MINNEAPOLIS — On Wednesday, a natural gas leak led to an explosion that caused a significant portion of Minnehaha Academy in the Loring Park neighborhood of Minneapolis to collapse, killing two school employees and injuring several others.
The Community Mourns the Victims and the Fallen:
Minnehaha Academy announced on Wednesday that two members of their school community had passed away in the explosion that demolished parts of the school.
John Carson, 81, was recovered from the rubble around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Carson, worked as a janitor for the school after retiring. Also among the dead is Ruth Berg, a 17-year receptionist for the school who was the first to be pulled from the wreckage late Wednesday afternoon.
HCMC says it has discharged 5 patients from #MinnehahaAcademy explosion. Now treating 4 patients: 1 critical, 3 satisfactory.
— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) August 2, 2017
Nine were injured in the explosion, all of whom were transported to HCMC. Seven of the nine were admitted to the hospital, with three in critical condition. WCCO’s Pat Kessler took to Twitter to announce that only four remain at the hospital with one in critical condition.
The Feds Take Over:
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken over the case into how and why the explosion at Minnehaha Academy occured. The NTSB sent several members of their team to Minneapolis to conduct an investigation that could take up to one year to conclude.
The team will spend its first day on the scene Friday to begin their week-long investigation before heading back to Washington D.C.
The NTSB, which investigates incidents involving gas lines, told members of the media there would be no real concrete information until they had time to take a look at the scene.
Christopher Hart, a board member with the NTSB, confirmed workers for Master Mechanical, were moving a gas meter when the natural gas leak occurred.
The Minneapolis Fire Department and Master Mechanical will be involved to with the investigative process.
This is a developing story. Stay with Alpha News for the latest on the Minnehaha Academy Explosion.
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Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
