Romanian authorities say an explosion at a chain of hardware stores in the northeast of the country has injured at least 13 people, four of them seriously.
BUCHAREST, Romania — An explosion at a chain of hardware stores in northeastern Romania on Friday injured at least 13 people, four of them seriously, authorities said.
A mobile intensive care unit was sent to the scene in Botosani, Suceava county, where four of the injured were in a serious condition, two intubated, and 10 were conscious but suffering from “various traumatic injuries and burns” and were being treated, emergency services said.
An emergency helicopter was called and two ambulances and two fire engines were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze. Search and rescue operations are underway inside the store. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion or whether the injured were customers or staff.
Two of the seriously injured victims were taken to a hospital in the city of Iasi, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) to the south, while the other two would be airlifted to the capital Bucharest for faster medical treatment, the health ministry said. Some of the injured suffered burns over 10 to 15 percent of their upper bodies.
Video footage released by emergency authorities showed the explosion ripping off part of the building's facade, leaving air conditioning units scattered across a rubble-covered storefront area.