Police Say More Than 6 May Be Missing After Refinery Blast

PORT WENTWORTH, GA (AP) – Authorities searching for at least six people missing after an explosion at a sugar refinery near Savannah, Georgia, say they expect to find fatalities inside the building.

Savannah-Chatham County Police Chief Michael Berkow said today he could not say how many people he expects to find dead inside the Imperial Sugar plant. He says there could be more than six people missing.

Berkow had said earlier during a news conference that rescue efforts have been shifted to a recovery operation.

Officials had not determined what caused the explosion last night at the plant in the Savannah suburb of Port Wentworth, Georgia.

But they say they suspect sugar dust, which can be volatile. Authorities believe 95 to 100 people were working in the area when the plant exploded.

More than 50 people have been taken to hospitals, with some airlifted to a burn center in Augusta, Georgia, 130 miles up the Savannah River.

A spokeswoman for the burn unit at Doctors Hospital in Augusta — Beth Frits — says the unit has received 18 patients — including 15 who are in critical condition. Imperial Sugar is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)