© Daniel Amram on Telegram,A screenshot from a video of a large blast seen from a driving dashboard in Ramat Hasharon in the early hours of Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
A man in his thirties was seriously injured and two people were lightly wounded in
a large explosion at an industrial site in the central city of Ramat Hasharon early Tuesday.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, but police and emergency responders said the situation was under control.
The site of the blast was a factory in the city's industrial area, according to preliminary reports in Hebrew media. A short clip from a driver's dashboard that is circulating online showed
a large explosion and a bright flash of light off a main road near the city.
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services said that when firefighters arrived on the scene to join "security personnel at the factory, several centers of combustion were found" and they gained control of the fires "without the use of hazardous materials."
The cause of the explosion was being investigated, authorities said.
Rotem Biran, a resident of nearby Hod Hasharon who saw the explosion, told Ynet that he and others were riding on their bicycles when they suddenly saw "a very strong flash of light. The flash really lit up the sky like daylight in the morning."
"We saw a large mushroom of smoke above the area.
A friend thought we were being bombed," he said.
In June, a massive explosion rocked the coastal city of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv, reportedly caused by improperly stored gunpowder from an old ammunition factory.
Comment: A powerful
explosion at a market in the Domican Republic:
A fiery explosion in a market area in the Dominican Republic kills 3 and injures dozens
A powerful explosion rocked a bustling market area near the capital of the Dominican Republic on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 30 others as people tried to flee amid the chaos, authorities said.
The explosion occurred at a bakery in the city of San Cristobal, which lies just west of Santo Domingo, the country's 911 system said in a statement.
Charred cars and debris from several collapsed buildings lined the streets as thick, black smoke rose from the city's center and enveloped several blocks, prompting businesses to evacuate while crowds gathered to film the aftermath. Some said they thought it was a bomb or an earthquake.
Left in the rubble were shoes, overturned chairs and even a motorcycle helmet. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the afternoon explosion, which officials said sparked a fire that spread from the bakery to a hardware store next door and a nearby furniture store.
The area is known as "Old Marketplace," where throngs of people shop daily for goods ranging from fruits to clothes. The victims were a 4-month-old baby who died from a head injury and two adults whose bodies were 90% burned, according to a statement from Dr. Mario Lama, director of the National Health Service. A local bank confirmed one of its female employees died in the explosion.
At least 39 people were reported injured as of late Monday night.
The death toll is expected to increase, with firefighters unable to enter certain buildings while continuing to fight the fire. As health officials announced the death of three people, civil defense authorities could be seen lifting the bodies of two people who lay on the street hours after the explosion.
"Our main objective here has been to safeguard the greatest number of human lives," Joel Santos, minister of the presidency, said during a news conference.
Dominican President Luis Abinader said he dispatched a government team to San Cristobal, adding that officials have been tending to victims and their families from the start.
Pura Casilla, the governor of San Cristobal province, told Noticias SIN that the explosion occurred in a commercial area and greatly affected businesses near the town center.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze late Monday night, and authorities ordered people to clear the area, warning that other buildings could collapse.
Government officials arrived on scene, including legislator Franklin Rodríguez, who told local media he was worried about people's health and safety given the heavy smoke still streaming from several buildings.
"These buildings are very weak," he said.
He added that toll roads leading to San Cristobal were suspended to allow a greater number of ambulances into the area, with dozens of people rushing to nearby hospitals and clinics to search for loved ones. Some cried outside the main hospital as others hugged them for comfort.
Eddy Montás, a local representative, told Noticias SIN that he saw a couple of bodies in the area, in addition to the three deaths that authorities reported.
"We are saddened by what happened today," he said.
San Cristobal, the birthplace of dictator Rafael Trujillo, was the site of another explosion nearly 23 years ago. An arms depot exploded in October 2000, killing at least two people and injured more than two dozen others, forcing authorities to evacuate thousands.
A huge fire,
again at a market, in Iran:
Huge fire at Tehran's grand bazaar in Iran causes no casualties
A large fire broke out at the grand bazaar in Iran's capital of Tehran, though it did not cause any casualties, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.
"A fire broke out in Ahangaran's Bazaar in Tehran's Grand Bazaar and about 30 warehouses and shops were caught in flames," the spokesperson of Tehran's fire department said.
Firefighters have managed to control the massive fire without any injuries but many financial losses are expected, Tasnim reported.
The following is just a selection of a few other reports from the last day or so:
Also check out SOTT radio's:
NewsReal: Hawaii Wildfire Tragedy: Man-Made or Natural Disaster?
Comment: A powerful explosion at a market in the Domican Republic: A huge fire, again at a market, in Iran: The following is just a selection of a few other reports from the last day or so:
- Dozens killed by explosion in southern Russia
- Another explosion at a port in Turkey: Gas pressure at waste disposal area blamed - Germany's largest scrap yard at Duisburg port also catches fire
- House explosion in Pennsylvania leaves 5 dead, 3 other homes destroyed and dozens damaged
- Explosion at steel complex in northern Iran injures eight: Report
Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Hawaii Wildfire Tragedy: Man-Made or Natural Disaster?