House explosion in southern Indiana kills 3, deputy coroner says

Three people were killed Wednesday when a house exploded in the southern Indiana city of Evansville, authorities said.

Dave Anson, chief deputy coroner for Vanderburgh County, told The Associated Press that the identities of the people who died would not be released until the next of kin has been notified.

Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said a total of 39 houses were damaged by the explosion at around 1 p.m. He said the department has not confirmed how many of the houses were occupied when the explosion happened because "some were too unstable to enter."