California student dead after model rocket explodes at school

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., April 5 (UPI) -- The explosion of a propane-propelled model rocket killed an 18-year-old and injured his 17-year-old friend at a Thousand Oaks, Calif., school.

The two unidentified high school students were working with the model rocket Monday evening on the handball court of Madrona Elementary School when it exploded.

The older student was pronounced dead of his injuries at a local hospital. The younger man sustained minor injuries and is expected to survive, officials said.

Witnesses compared the sound of the explosion to a sonic boom.

"From all accounts, they didn't try to launch their rocket. Something went terribly wrong and the one boy was holding it, and it exploded," a witness, Tammy Coburn, told KCBS-TV, Los Angeles.

Capt. Mike Lindbery of the Ventura County Fire Department said the two victims were "making rockets out of propane."

The school was searched by the fire department as a precaution after the incident.

"We still have our bomb team on site, and they are doing an investigation. They are trying to figure out exactly what type of device was involved," Det. Tim Lohman of the Thousand Oaks Police Department said late Monday.