At least 10 injured after water plant explosion, roof collapse

CHICAGO » Ten people were seriously injured Thursday when an explosion caused a section of roof to collapse at a Chicago water reclamation plant, trapping two of the injured people inside, authorities said.

Firefighters pulled one person out shortly after the collapse at the onestory brick building on Chicago’s far South Side. It took about two hours to rescue the second person, who was “buried and entombed” by fallen debris, Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said.

Paramedics tended to the man while specially trained firefighters tunneled beneath the rubble to reach him and remove a metal beam from his legs. The man, who remained conscious, suffered a broken jaw and leg and was airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was in critical condition.

The other people who were injured were taken to hospitals in serious to critical condition, a Fire Department spokesman said.