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AN investigation is underway into an explosion at a gas– and oil–fired power plant in Connecticut, US, which killed five people and injured many others.

The blast at the 620 MW Kleen Energy plant, currently under construction just outside Middletown, occurred on 7 February at 11.17 EST. Middletown’s mayor, Sebastian Guiliano, said that the explosion had most likely been caused by a gas explosion. Reports suggest this occurred when workers were purging a high-pressure gas pipeline. Initially, there was some confusion as to exactly how many workers were on site due to large numbers of contractors, but all workers have now been accounted for.

The fire was eventually put out at around 13.30, with over 100 fire personnel on site. Search and rescue teams searched the rubble for victims. A local hospital said it treated 26 people injured in the explosion.

Connecticut governor Jodi Rell launched the investigation on Monday 8 February to identify the exact cause of the blast. The first investigation panel will be headed by Senior U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas and includes representatives from the state police, and the Departments of Labor, Environmental Protection, Consumer Protection and Public Utility Control. It will look at site supervision, safety checks, training and fire precautions.

A second panel will review state and local safety laws and building regulations, with the aim of protecting workers on other sites from similar disasters.

Building work at the Kleen Energy plant began in 2008 and it was due to begin operations in June of this year, using Siemens combined–cycle technology.