This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6918540.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Blast at space tourism test site | Blast at space tourism test site |
| (39 minutes later) | |
| Three people have been killed and three others seriously hurt in an explosion at a rocket-testing site in the US state of California, officials say. | Three people have been killed and three others seriously hurt in an explosion at a rocket-testing site in the US state of California, officials say. |
| The blast happened at the Mojave Air and Space Port, owned by space tourism pioneer Burt Rutan. | The blast happened at the Mojave Air and Space Port, owned by space tourism pioneer Burt Rutan. |
| Mr Rutan said the incident happened during a test of the flow of nitrous oxide through an injector. | Mr Rutan said the incident happened during a test of the flow of nitrous oxide through an injector. |
| The gas is used to test rockets which Mr Rutan's company is developing to offer tourists a chance to visit space. | The gas is used to test rockets which Mr Rutan's company is developing to offer tourists a chance to visit space. |
| Two people were killed instantly and the third died later in hospital. | Two people were killed instantly and the third died later in hospital. |
| The explosion occurred at 1430 local time (2130 GMT) on Thursday. | The explosion occurred at 1430 local time (2130 GMT) on Thursday. |
| Local TV broadcast pictures taken from a helicopter showing debris scattered across the area in the Mojave desert, north of Los Angeles. | |
| Speaking to the Associated Press, Mr Rutan - who was not at the site at the time - described the incident as a "very big deal". | Speaking to the Associated Press, Mr Rutan - who was not at the site at the time - described the incident as a "very big deal". |
| At a later news conference, Mr Rutan said officials did not yet know why the explosion occurred and added that nitrous oxide was not normally considered a hazardous material. | At a later news conference, Mr Rutan said officials did not yet know why the explosion occurred and added that nitrous oxide was not normally considered a hazardous material. |
| The site's general manager, Stuart Witt, said the area's activities were "inherently risky". | The site's general manager, Stuart Witt, said the area's activities were "inherently risky". |
| "These are not the days we look forward to but we deal with it," Mr Witt told AP. | "These are not the days we look forward to but we deal with it," Mr Witt told AP. |