Serious gas explosion in Hungarian town, one person taken to hospital

A gas explosion occurred on Wednesday morning in an apartment in Tapolca, Hungary. One person was taken to hospital and the building was evacuated, the press spokesperson of the Veszprém County Emergency Management Directorate told the Hungarian News Agency (MTI).

Gas explosion in Tapolca

According to Veszprém County Emergency Management Directorate spokesperson Henrietta Csondor, the explosion occurred in an apartment in a ten-storey block of flats on Kazinczy Square, Tapolca. The gas explosion is believed to have occurred during the replacement of gas cylinders, knocking down several walls and tearing doors out of their places.

One person was taken to hospital and, in addition to the injured person, there was a dog in the apartment.

All the apartments in the building, 102 properties, were evacuated and the residents were temporarily housed in the neighbouring school.

A small fire was also started, a sofa was burning on about one square metre, but it was extinguished by neighbours before the firefighters arrived. The Tapolca municipal fire brigade and the fire brigades of Badacsonytomaj and Keszthely were called to the scene.

A rescue helicopter has also arrived on the scene. Experts are examining the structural condition of the building.

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