Gender Reveal Party Explosion Leaves 1 Woman Dead in Iowa

The 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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A woman has died following an explosion at a Knoxville, Iowa gender reveal party.

The explosion occurred at a home in Knoxville around 4 p.m. Saturday during a party, perCBS News, with the explosion causing "a flying piece of debris to strike the victim."

Authorities first received a call reporting that a 56-year-old woman had been injured by the blast. Once authorities arrived on the scene, the woman—whose identity has not been released at the time of this writing—was pronounced dead.

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Several agencies—including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)—are investigating the incident. The Marion county Sheriff’s Department is expected to release additional details soon.

KCCI, a regional CBS outlet, spoke with Knoxville residents about the fatal incident for a report released late Sunday.

"I'm sure no one bought that this could end tragically, I mean, who woulda thought?" Gary Roozeboom, a retired pastor and longtime Knoxville resident, told the publication. "My heart just aches for the family. I mean, it's something that's supposed to be fun and exciting. I mean, you have your family there and then—wow—in an instant everything changed."

As other reports have noted, this doesn't mark the first time that a gender reveal party has come to a tragic end. Back in 2017, per USA Today, a U.S. border patrol agent's gunshot at a gender reveal party ultimately sparked an $8 million Arizona wildfire at the time. 

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