Explosion in historic district of Prague, injuring atleast 35, blamed on gas leak
A gas explosion ripped through a building containing offices and an art gallery in a historic district of central Prague on Monday morning, injuring 35 people and prompting evacuations of nearby buildings in the Czech capital, officials said.
More than 230 people were evacuated from the area, including from buildings used by schools including Charles University and the Academy of Performing Arts’ film and TV school, known as FAMU, officials said.
Gas explosion in Prague photo/screenshot of Rt coverage
“We can now confirm this was a gas explosion. It was not a terrorist attack,” Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told reporters Monday.
“There was glass everywhere and people shouting and crying,” Vaclav Rokyta, a Czech student, told the AP near the scene.
The blast shattered windows in the scenic area of charming streets and picture postcard buildings, sending glass flying. Authorities closed a wide area around the site and some tourists were stranded on street corners with trolleys loaded with luggage, unable to get into their hotels.
Reports are unconfirmed of one of the building’s ceilings collapsed.
Authorities said two or three people were still believed to be missing, but sniffer dogs searching the rubble had not indicated that anyone was buried and the prime minister said it appeared no one had died.
Photo: screenshot of RT video coverage – http://rt.com/news/czech-prague-explosion-injuries-553/
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/29/world/europe/czech-republic-explosion/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
