Massive explosions at gas station in Romania kill one and injure 46 including 26 firefighters tackling the inferno
MASSIVE explosions at a gas station in Romania have killed one person and injured 46 including 26 firefighters tackling the inferno.
There were two explosions at a liquefied petroleum gas station in the town of Crevedia, near the capital Bucharest, on Saturday.
After the first explosion, the fire spread to two tanks and a nearby house, causing evacuations within a radius of 700 meters.
Meanwhile traffic on the national road was blocked, according the government’s emergency response unit (IGSU).
A second explosion took place at the LPG station on Saturday evening injuring 26 firefighters, Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat, who is in charge of the emergency response unit, told reporters.
Of the 46 injured, eight were intubated after suffering severe burns, the government said.
“We think four of the patients will more than certainly be transferred tonight to hospitals in Italy and Belgium,” Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said.
Some 25 fire engines were deployed at the scene, but the fire had yet to be extinguished.
Arafat said more explosions could happen as a third tank at the site posed a risk.
“I’m profoundly saddened that the explosions in Crevedia resulted in victims,” President Klaus Iohannis wrote on Facebook, describing it as a “tragedy”.
“An investigation must quickly be launched to see if rules were broken. I ask the authorities to take urgent measures for the injured so that these tragedies won’t happen again,” he added.
A video on social media showed that the fire spread to an adjacent field and was steadily engulfing a low layer of dry crops.
Several nearby houses and vehicles were damaged by the fire.