Kansas grain elevator explosion: 3 dead, 3 still missing

An explosion at a grain elevator in Atchison, Kansas, on Saturday evening has left three people dead and three missing, CNN reports.

Two more people were being treated for severe burn injuries they suffered in the blast, which blew the top off a grain elevator owned by Bartlett Grain Co.

On Sunday, crews temporarily suspended their search for the missing workers until heavy equipment that would make their search safer arrived, The Associated Press reports.

Atchison City Manager Trey Cocking told the AP that they hadn’t given up hope that the missing – an elevator company worker and two state grain inspectors – might still be found alive.

"Rescue operations can be difficult because workers are often scattered throughout the facility, making them difficult to locate," a statement from city officials said, according to CNN.

Explosions are a common danger at grain elevators, the AP reports, because grain dust can easily ignite when it is suspended in the air.

The blast was so big that people in Missouri saw the fireball, the Kansas City Star reports, and others miles away heard the explosion.

According to the Kansas City Star:

The explosion blew a two- to three-story metal structure called a henhouse off the top of the 125-foot elevator. Most of the concrete structure, which stands about 300 feet from the Missouri River, appears intact, but debris is still hanging from the top of the elevator.