Explosion that killed 3 near Starved Rock State Park thought to be an accident Three men were found dead after an explosion Thursday evening along the Illinois River bank near Utica. Scott Anderson/Shaw Media
Updated 5/7/2021 9:48 PM
Authorities are sure of one thing regarding Thursday night s explosion near Utica: the three men killed in the blast were not part of a terror cell and do not appear to have been contemplating any criminal mischief.
La Salle County Coroner Rich Ploch said he and numerous agencies have reached only a few preliminary observations. Authorities are for sure the material ignited Thursday had not come from the nearby demolition remnants of the former Route 178 bridge.
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Sputnik International
The three people who died after a black powder device exploded along a bank of the Illinois River next to Starved Rock State Park were men from the Chicago area who were related, the LaSalle County coroner said Saturday.
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They discovered three men who died from injuries they received in the explosion, Ploch said. Autopsies are ongoing.
Ploch had said investigators determined the men ignited a black powder along the river bank. He had no further information Saturday on the substance, which he said could take weeks to process through laboratory tests.
Anyone with information about the incident was urged to call state police at 815-726-6377. 7 things to know as Illinois prepares to enter the bridge phase Light is getting brighter
May 7, 2021
UTICA – A reported explosion that sent emergency crews scrambling to the banks of the Illinois River Thursday evening may have caused devastating injuries or worse to multiple people, but authorities have yet to release specific details. Around 7:20 PM Utica EMS and the Department of Natural Resources were called to an area west of the Starved Rock State Park boat launch for what was described to dispatchers as an explosion. Crews combed the banks into the late hours of the evening with flashlights and portions of the park were closed to the public. The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office is expected to put out a full press release later today.