BREAKING: Horrific explosion in Budapest’s downtown, near university, one dead – PHOTOS, VIDEO
A catastrophic explosion took place in Budapest’s downtown, in the 11th district’s Kuspér Street, close to the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Ambulance and firefighters arrived shortly and found at least one dead under the rubble of a crashed wall. Here is what we know.
Explosion close to Hungary’s biggest university
According to Szeretlek Magyarország, 50 people have been evacuated because of the horrific explosion in Budapest’s Kuspér Street, near the main buildings of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Twenty firefighters arrived on six vehicles and found a disabled woman’s corpse under the rubble.
Authorities received the first report of the explosion today at 4.15 AM. The apartment concerned is in a four-storey building on the third level. The explosion crashed one of the apartment’s walls, so the fire spread into the neighbouring flat. One woman died in the explosion, two more persons suffered injuries.
50 people had to leave their apartment due to the explosion. The Budapest Transport Centre sent a shelter bus to help them. The electricity provider separated the building from the network, while the gas provider separated the two apartments. Authorities started to examine the reasons for the explosion and the fire.
Mayor on the spot and offered help
Imre László, the mayor of the 11th district, rushed to the scene and shared several photos of the building and the apartments. He said two people suffered life-threatening injuries in the explosion. He added that the 50 people the authorities evacuated during the firefighting received drinking water and food in the shelter bus. He expressed his commitment to help everybody concerned.
100-year old victim
According to Blikk, the victim of the accident was Aunt Ilonka, a 100-year-old disabled woman. The Hungarian tabloid added that locals could return 7 hours after the explosion. People living in the building said the explosion took place during coffee making. There was a gas leak in one of the apartments, which exploded, and the wall fell on Aunt Ilonka, killing her. People said she did not have a chance to survive because she was hard of hearing. The elderly woman was disabled, so the local government provided her with food and drink for years.
Based on Blikk, a firefighter also got injured during the evacuation process.
Attila, another apartment owner there, said the man making the coffee suffered life-threatening burns. He ran out of his flat shouting while his clothes burned on him.
Here are some more photos:
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How scary a situation for everyone. At that time of the night getting organized to escape a building would have challenges for eveyone, especially deep sleepers or anyone with children. So, these were rental apartements, not condominiums, according to the article. Therefore insurance and responsibility for repairs etc will have to be organized with the building owners, then each renter who would have had to have ‘Tennants’ insurance ‘ to cover their personal belongings. What a headache for everyone.
Don’t quite understand why the article seems to stipulate that the elderly woman lived on Welfare, rather than old age pension & her own retirement funds that each citizen is expected to save during their lifetime, which would all be her rightful self support and not government help directly as the article seems to point out.