Police expect death toll to rise in apartment explosion

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Additional bodies will likely be found in the debris of an apartment explosion and fire in Maryland that has already claimed two lives and injured more than 30 people, police said today.

Russ Hamill, the Montgomery County assistant police chief, declined to say at a news conference how many people may still be unaccounted for in the explosion, which happened late Wednesday night.

Police said Thursday that two people were killed. Those victims still have not been identified. Hamill said today the condition of the bodies made it impossible to determine their age or sex.

The county's acting fire chief, David Steckel, said the recovery process has been slow because of how badly the building was damaged.

"The building still presents as a collapse hazard, which is a dangerous situation for the personnel," Steckel said. "The movement of debris itself presents a challenge. Every time you move something, it has the possibility to impinge the integrity of the structure so we have to be careful and methodical."

Steckel said 50 fire and rescue personnel were working on the recovery efforts.