Authorities identify victim of gender reveal party explosion

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a woman killed in a pipe bomb explosion at a gender reveal party in Iowa.

The Marion County sheriff’s office says 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer died instantly after debris struck her in the head in rural Knoxville.

Authorities say the Kreimeyer family had been experimenting with different types of explosives in hopes of recording a gender reveal ceremony that could be posted on social media for friends and family.

They say family members used gunpowder to create a homemade stand that was supposed to blow colorful powder indicating the child’s sex, but tape over the top of the metal tubing inadvertently created a pipe bomb that sent shrapnel flying.

Kreimeyer was standing 45 feet (14 meters) from the device when it exploded.

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