CLAIRTON, Pa. — An explosion at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh left one person dead and sent at least 10 to hospitals Monday and heavily damaged the sprawling facility, with emergency workers still searching the badly charred rubble for a missing worker, officials said.

One worker was pulled from the wreckage hours after the explosion sent black smoke spiraling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. A search and rescue effort was still active on Monday afternoon and officials said the cause of the explosion was under investigation.

The explosion, followed by several smaller blasts, could be felt in the nearby community and prompte

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