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Investigation Continues Into Explosion at New Hampshire Ball Bearings

Company officials now say 14 people were injured in a major explosion inside a factory in Peterborough on Monday, including two critically.

The blast at New Hampshire Ball Bearings occurred shortly after 3:30p.m., sending a column of smoke into the air and shaking buildings within a quarter-mile range.

A company statement says 12 patients were treated and released, and that all employees have been accounted for. "We ask that all of you keep our employees and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Our first and primary concern is for them." 

Two injured workers were transported by helicopter to trauma centers in Massachusetts.

Eric Bowman with the Peterborough Fire Department says more than 100 first responders from a dozen nearby towns were dispatched to the scene, including a Hazardous Materials crew.

“Everyone is out, the workers have been sent home, and the building will be closed until we can deem it safe until we can reenter,” says Bowman.

Officials say all indications are that this was an industrial related incident, and that an investigation is ongoing.

Roughly 450 workers may have been in the building at the time of the explosion, according to company officials.

New Hampshire Ball Bearing is one of the largest employers in the area. It manufactures precision bearings for aerospace, defense and other high-tech industries. 

*This story will be updated as new information becomes available.

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.

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