Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Emergency crews are racing to locate missing persons following a large explosion at a nursing home Tuesday afternoon.
Several people were trapped and the building in danger of collapse.
Flames broke out in the wreckage around 3 p.m.
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Responders received reports of the blast at the Silver Lake Nursing Home on Tower Road next to Lower Bucks Hospital at approximately 2:15 p.m.
By 3 p.m., a massive mutual aid response was underway as fire companies and ambulance crews from across the county arrived at the scene.
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Search and rescue operations remained active as of 3:05 p.m., with officials reporting multiple injuries and an unknown number of patients and staff trapped inside the wreckage.
The force of the explosion caused significant structural damage to the facility.
First responders and police officers were seen using any available stretchers and to pull victims from the debris.
Neighbors and family members arrived at the facility in tears, seeking information on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Authorities have not yet released the total number of injuries or confirmed the cause of the explosion
