A Kenyan nursing assistant was among two women killed after explosions tore through a nursing home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on 23 December, leaving more than 20 people injured.
The explosions occurred at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center shortly after staff reported the smell of gas in the building. Utility workers from PECO were already on site when the first blast struck at about 2 pm, causing extensive damage and filling corridors with smoke and debris.
Emergency crews evacuated residents and searched for those trapped as fires spread through parts of the facility. A second explosion later in the day worsened the damage to the former Silver Lake Nursing Home. By evening, officials confirmed that more than 20 residents and staff had been taken to nearby hospitals with serious injuries.
The victims were identified as a resident of the facility and 52-year-old Felistas Muthoni Nduthu, a Kenyan immigrant who worked as a nursing assistant. Nduthu was on her final shift before travelling to North Carolina to spend Christmas with her family.
