UPDATED February 20, 11:30 a.m.: Kansas City Fire Department officials said crews recovered a body from the debris of JJ’s Restaurant. Fox4KC reports the body has not yet been identified.
Original Story:
More than a dozen people were injured and one worker reported missing after an explosion and fire at a Kansas City restaurant.
Fox4KC reports the explosion happened Tuesday evening, February 19, 2013 at JJ’s, located at the west end of the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.
A statement from the utility company there said early indications were a contractor struck an underground natural gas line, causing the explosion. People in the area had reported the smell of natural gas just before the blast.
Windows were shattered in buildings more than a block away, and residents in the area were under mandatory evacuation.
Dogs were called in to help search for a woman who works for JJ’s since she was still unaccounted for early Wednesday morning.
Fifteen people were hospitalized with injuries from the blast.
