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One of four employees hospitalized after the death of the plant explosion Friday night in northern Illinois, authorities said Saturday.
This brought the number of deaths to two people in the explosion at the AB Specialty Silicones factory in Waukegan, north of Chicago, with the deaths of two other employees, according to reports.
Three other employees were injured in the blast, whose cause remains under investigation.
The employee who died in a hospital Saturday at 11:50 am was identified as Allen Stevens, 29, of Salem, Wisconsin, Lake County News-Sun reported, citing information from the Cook County Medical Examiner, in Illinois.
A WORKER FOUND DEATH AFTER AN EXPLOSION OF AN ILLINOIS PLANT; 2 OTHER PEOPLE CONVINCED DEATH OF RESCUE SUSPEND RESEARCH
None of the other employees has been identified.
Emergency personnel work on the scene of an explosion at AB Specialty Silicones at Sunset Ave. and Northwestern Ave. on the border between Gurnee, Illinois and Waukegan, Saturday, May 4, 2019. The explosion occurred Friday night. (Associated Press)
On Saturday, the plant's general manager, Mac Penman, issued a statement: "We are shocked and upset by the tragedy in our factory last night."
The remains of the factory "looked like a wreckage scene from an apocalyptic film," the Chicago Sun-Times reported, adding that debris had been scattered far from the site.
More than 100 emergency responders were working at the site, where the blast had damaged at least five other buildings, the Sun-Times reported.
Local residents told the local media that they were surprised by the blast.
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"The feeling was indescribable," said Josette Jones, a resident of the Sun-Times. "The house was moving and the windows were shaking and suddenly the lights went out and on."
Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said investigators had interrupted their search for missing employees because of worries about the plant's stability, which had been severely damaged. reported the newspaper.
Investigators were to continue their search Sunday, according to the report.
The Associated Press has contributed to this story.
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