Mortar Round Explodes at Illinois Metal Recycling Plant

Two people were killed and one was injured on Monday in an explosion at a metal recycling plant in southern Illinois possibly caused by a mortar round, according to police and the coroner’s office. The blast occurred at about 6:30 a.m. local time in Granite City, about 8 miles (13 km) northeast of St. Louis at Totall Metal Recycling, a company that gets some of its material from the military, Granite City police said. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a mortar round, Granite City Police Major Jeff Connor told a news conference.