School Collapse in Minneapolis Leaves 3 Unaccounted For

School Collapse in Minneapolis Leaves 2 Dead

A gas leak at a Minneapolis schools has caused an explosion leaving two staff members dead.

[UPDATE: August 3, 2017 9:00 a.m. CT]

Minneapolis Fire has confirmed that two people have died in the partial school collapse following a gas leak.

Both victims were staff members of the upper Minneapolis school, the first to be found in the rubble was a receptionist, Ruth Berg, who had been with the school for 17 years. The second was an 81-year-old janitor.

[UPDATE: August 2, 2017 12:05 p.m. CT]

Minneapolis Fire Department has confirmed the number of unaccounted people is now down to two people. One person who was previously unaccounted for was found unharmed.

The fire chief was also able to confirm that the gas leak was the result of a severed gas line by contractors employed to work on the building.

The original story is posted below.

Rescues are underway after a school in Minneapolis partially collapsed after a explosion on Wednesday morning.

The explosion happened at Minnehaha's Upper School, according to the school district. The Minneapolis Fire Department was able to confirm that the explosion was a result of a gas leak at the school.

In a series of tweets, the Minneapolis police department confirmed that three people had been rescued from the roof of the school, five people were transported to area hospitals and three people were still unaccounted for at the time of this writing.

Officials believe there were about a dozen students in the gym at the time of the explosion. Those students and staff have been accounted for. There is another group of people who were closer to the explosion at the back of the building, it is from this group of people that police and fire officials believe there are people missing.

Minnehaha Academy posted on their Facebook page to confirm the explosion and give parents a place to pick up their students if they were at the school.


Witnesses from the incident say that officials came over the loud speaker to ask those in the building to leave after smelling gas. It was seconds later that the explosion happened.

This story will be updated with timely information.

 

Featured

  • Ransomware Attacks Rise for the First Time in Six Months

    Ransomware attacks have risen for the first time in six months, increasing by 28% month-on-month to 421 attacks. While overall attack volume remained below 500, the uptick may signal a renewed escalation heading into the year’s most active period for cyber criminals. Read Now

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.