Mar. 25—R.M. Palmer Co. of West Reading issued a statement Saturday following the devastating explosion that has left at least two people dead and several others injured and missing.

The company has been assisting with rescue efforts and provided officials with information on who was likely in the building at the time of the blast, according to West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag.

Below is the full text of the statement, which was posted to the company's website:

Everyone at RM Palmer is devastated by the tragic events at one of our West Reading facilities and we are focused on supporting our employees and their families. We have lost close friends and colleagues, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all who have been impacted. We are sincerely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all the first responders and for the support of our Reading community, which has been home to our business for more than 70 years. We will continue to coordinate closely with local and national agencies to assist in the recovery process.

We are anxious to be in touch with all employees and the families of employees who have been impacted, but the company's email, phones, and other communication systems are down, and therefore we are relying currently on first responders and disaster recovery organizations to provide any available information to impacted families. We will be providing additional information and making contact with employees, impacted families, and the community as soon as possible.

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The company has been a mainstay of West Reading and Berks County for 75 years. It was founded in 1948 by Richard M. Palmer Sr., who secured a $25,000 investment to purchase some used equipment and an old warehouse in Sinking Spring.

Today the company has three facilities, more than 800 employees and makes more than 1,000 different items that are distributed around the world. It is considered one of the top 75 confectioners in the world and is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the U.S.