Five people working on Independence Day fireworks shows were killed by explosions, four of them by a single blast that rocked the remote Outer Banks village of Ocracoke, N.C.
The fifth died after an explosion at a fireworks show in Pennsylvania, police said. In addition, a wooden pedestrian bridge collapsed in Merrillville, Ind., as people were leaving a fireworks show. At least 50 people were dropped into a lake and 25 of them were injured, police said. None of the injuries was life-threatening. Authorities said the crowd overloaded the bridge.
The blast at Ocracoke came as workers were unloading fireworks on Saturday from a truck at the Anchorage Marina. It shook homes and businesses across the southern end of Ocracoke Island, rattling residents and tourists.
A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents determined the cause was accidental. An agency such as the state Labor Department is likely to take on the task of finding the specific cause, he said.
A silent parade to pay tribute to the victims was planned for Sunday afternoon along the route of Saturday's parade. Pennsylvania state police fire marshals were investigating the death of a worker Saturday at a fireworks show at Quakertown's Memorial Park. Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree said authorities immediately halted the show and evacuated part of the park.
The fifth died after an explosion at a fireworks show in Pennsylvania, police said. In addition, a wooden pedestrian bridge collapsed in Merrillville, Ind., as people were leaving a fireworks show. At least 50 people were dropped into a lake and 25 of them were injured, police said. None of the injuries was life-threatening. Authorities said the crowd overloaded the bridge.
The blast at Ocracoke came as workers were unloading fireworks on Saturday from a truck at the Anchorage Marina. It shook homes and businesses across the southern end of Ocracoke Island, rattling residents and tourists.
A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents determined the cause was accidental. An agency such as the state Labor Department is likely to take on the task of finding the specific cause, he said.
A silent parade to pay tribute to the victims was planned for Sunday afternoon along the route of Saturday's parade. Pennsylvania state police fire marshals were investigating the death of a worker Saturday at a fireworks show at Quakertown's Memorial Park. Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree said authorities immediately halted the show and evacuated part of the park.
