Gender-reveal device explosion kills father-to-be

 

 A father-to-be from New York state has died after a device he was building for his child's gender-reveal party exploded, according to police. Christopher Pekny, 28, was assembling the device in the town of Liberty when it exploded just before noon on Sunday. Police said the blast killed Mr Pekny and injured his brother Michael Pekny, 27, who was taken to hospital.
Gender-reveal parties are celebrations announcing whether expecting parents are going to have a girl or a boy.

Police have not specified what device caused Sunday's explosion. New York's state police department and its bomb disposal unit are investigating the incident.
A spokesman for state police told the New York Times the device consisted of some kind of pipe, without giving further details.
Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Pekny's oldest brother, Peter Pekny Jr, described what happened as "the freakiest of freak accidents that I could ever imagine". He did not know what had set off the explosion.
The death is the latest in a string of catastrophes to be linked to gender-reveal parties in recent years.