Society's Child

Gas explosion in Russia kills 2, chemical explosion at factory in India kills 6, manhole explodes in NYC

RT.de
Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:46 UTC

A gas explosion broke out in a five-story apartment building in the town of Stupino near Moscow on Monday morning. At least two people died, including a 12-year-old child.

In the town of Stupino, about 90 kilometers from Moscow, a gas explosion occurred in a five-story apartment building. The building was partially destroyed. As the Interfax news agency reports, eight of a total of 120 apartments were damaged. The preliminary cause is a gas leak due to a malfunction in the plumbing, rescuers said.

Two people died, including a 12-year-old child. Seven people were injured. According to sources in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, those affected suffered broken bones and craniocerebral injuries. According to preliminary information, there are no people under the rubble.

A total of 60 people were evacuated from the house. Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, instructed the district head to provide temporary housing for the evacuees. The regional public prosecutor's office began investigations.

Comment: These three incidents appear to have happened in the last day or so:

Report.az provides a few details on the chemical factory in India that killed 6 people:

Six persons working at a chemical factory were killed in an explosion in the Bharuch district of Gujarat, India, Report informs, citing Hindustan Time.

The company is into solvent distillation process and a reactor suddenly blew off, killing six people working there, Bharuch Superintendent of Police said.

The investigation is on to determine the exact cause of the blast, and an FSL report will soon be prepared, according to police.

The Daily Mail reports on the exploding manhole cover in Times Square, New York:

Energy provider Con Edison said a manhole cover explosion in Times Square Sunday that sent throngs of tourists running for their lives was caused by an underground power cable failure - though nobody was injured as a result of the blast.

'We can confirm that a manhole exploded in the Times Square area this evening due to cable failure, and another manhole was smoking,' the company said in a statement. 'At this time, there have been no customer outages, and no reports of injuries or property damage.'

Videos from the the scene show pedestrians dashing through the Crossroads of the World just before 7 p.m. - with one nearby resident saying the blast shook her 'whole apartment.'

In a video posted to social media, a young woman films herself as crews respond to the manhole fires. The explosion is then heard and she begins to run.

'What the f***?' What the f*** was that?'

FDNY officials also found elevated carbon monoxide levels at 229 West 43rd Street after the blast. High levels of the odorless and colorless gas, which can lead to brain damage or death, were likely caused by the entrapped manhole fires.

Firefighters were in the process of 'venting and mitigating the cellar and sub-cellar of the location' before they handed the scene over to utility companies by 9 p.m.

The explosion rattled an already jittery city that has seen crime skyrocket since the start of the pandemic. Overall crime is up 44.13 percent across the city from this time last year, with shooting victims up 14.5 percent.

The blast took place as crowds were gathering outside theaters for Broadway shows in the popular tourist hub.

One video shows fearful crowds running down the sidewalk as others join in without knowing what's really happening.

'I don't know what it is but...,' a man says in one video 'What is it? I heard something.'

The blast was likely caused by three manhole fires reported in the area, the FDNY said.

The cause of Sunday's fires has not been determined.

Footage from the 24/7 EarthCam above Duffy Square - site of Times Square's iconic red steps - shows a crowd lingering in the area just before 7pm when, suddenly, groups of people start running in one direction.

The square is partially emptied out by the time the panic dies down a few seconds later.

One nearby resident tweeted: 'Feeling relieved. With it being the start holy week, I was very scared. When I say my whole apartment shook, my goodness! Hoping to get more details on the manhole explosion. Two in two years. Wild.'

The city's fire department was assisting utility companies in finding out the cause of the manhole fires that led to the blast. The scene was turned over to the utility companies by 9pm.