Four dead, dozens hurt as steam engine explodes

A steam engine exploded at a county fair in Ohio in the US, killing four people and injuring dozens when it blasted shrapnel and hot oil across the fairground.

The engine was being moved into place for an outdoor exhibit about antique trains and tractors when it exploded last night, Medina County Sheriff Neil Hassinger said.

Two of the men killed were close to the engine, and the third man was found 30ft away. A fourth person died later at a hospital.

Shrapnel was found in a car parking about 100 yards away, said fire Chief Bill Herthneck. Brian Witt, 15, was watching a bird-judging competition when he heard the explosion.

‘‘It sounded like a big boom. I heard all kinds of people crying, people screaming,’’ said Witt, who was treated for burns to his arms and face.

Betsy Mikalacki, spokeswoman for Medina General Hospital, said 18 people had been admitted for injuries in the explosion at the Medina County Fair, about 25 miles southwest of Cleveland. Other victims were being taken by helicopter to other hospitals.

A nursing supervisor at Children’s Hospital Medical Centre of Akron said a child being brought to the hospital had burns over ‘‘100%’’ of the child’s body.

She said two law enforcement officials were also being brought to the burn unit with serious injuries.

The victims were identified as Alan Kimble, 46; Cliff Kovacic, 48; William Kovacic, 27; and Dennis Jungbluth, 58, all longtime exhibitors at the fair, Hassinger said.

‘‘They’ve been here for years,’’ said Dave Bertram, fair president.

The fair was only open for set-up and horse races yesterday, and was not scheduled to officially begin until today.

The gates were open to all, however, and most people at the fairgrounds were either leaving the races or bringing sheep and cows to the fair’s stables for livestock contests later in the week.

Bertram said the fair would go on as scheduled.

‘‘It’s a tragedy. Our sympathies go out to the people. My emotions right now are going crazy.’’

Events at the fair include harness racing, concerts, tractor pulls, animal shows, fireworks and rides.

Authorities kept people off the fairgrounds as crews working under bright lights cleared scraps of burned metal from the exhibition area.

Last year, about 30 people who attended the fair or a later Halloween attraction called the Carnival of Horrors at the Medina County Fairgrounds became ill with potentially deadly E. coli.

A report from the federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that water and ice used by food vendors may have become contaminated with standing water from the animal barns.