House Explosion Kills Man, Woman, Injures Son

MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say a house explosion in northeastern Pennsylvania has claimed the lives of a man and woman and sent their son to the hospital with injuries.

Police and emergency dispatchers in Luzerne County say two blasts about 20 minutes apart were reported early Friday in the home in Dorrance, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.

State police at the Hazleton barracks say 66-year-old Ester Rupp Hedgepeth and 77-year-old Eugene Hedgepeth were killed. Their 20-year-old son was found lying on the ground outside the home. He was taken to a hospital with injuries not deemed life-threatening.

The cause of the blast hasn't yet been determined, but a state police fire marshal says investigators are looking into the possibility that propane was involved.

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