West Reading chocolate factory victims died of blast injuries, thermal burns, coroner says

Six of the people killed last month in the West Reading chocolate factory explosion are believed to have died from blast injuries, according to the Berks County Coroner’s Office. Investigators believe the seventh victim in the R.M. Palmer Co. explosion and building collapse died from thermal burns.

The coroner’s office released the provisional causes of death for the seven victims Tuesday, adding that forensic medical examinations are ongoing, and investigations remain active. A final cause and manner of death will be released for each victim once the coroner, along with federal and state agencies, conclude their investigations, the report said.

The March 24 explosion in West Reading rocked the tight-knit borough of about 4,500, just 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Families spent the weekend in anguish as relatives remained missing, buried under the wreckage. Rescue workers worked nonstop, excavating debris and using everything from heat technology to dogs in attempts to find survivors.

At the time of the blast, residents rallied around families of the missing, lighting candles and reciting prayers. Many were struck by the location of the blast, a factory known for making thousands of chocolate bunnies for Easter. Some former employees described Palmer as a good place to work, a place that gave back to the community.

Reading resident Xiorky D. Nuñez, 30, was the youngest of the victims and is believed to have died of thermal burns.

The victims who are believed to have died of blast injuries include: Reading resident Diana M. Cedeño, 44; Ephrata resident Amy S. Sandoe, 49; Reading resident Judith Lopez-Moran, 55; Reading resident Domingo Cruz, 60; Marion Township resident Michael D. Breedy, 62; and Upper Providence Township resident Susan H. Halvonik, 63.

» READ MORE: Chocolate maker ignored warnings of gas leak prior to West Reading blast, lawsuit claims

This month, Lopez-Moran’s family filed a lawsuit against the factory, and gas utility company UGI in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

“The gas leak at the factory and the horrific explosion it caused was foreseeable, predictable, and preventable,” reads the wrongful death suit that alleges workers reported a natural gas smell to the company to no avail.

One survivor told the Associated Press that employees complained of the smell 30 minutes before the blast.