VIENNA—A suspected gas explosion tore through a building near Vienna’s city center on June 26, causing several floors to collapse and seriously injuring four people, emergency services said.
Footage posted on social media showed a hole three or four floors high in the front of what appears to be a residential building, with the street covered in dust and small debris.
Several men could be seen carrying a person away from the blast site.
BREAKING: Alleged gas explosion in #Vienna causes partial collapse of two buildings . Many injuries reported – police #Wien #Austria pic.twitter.com/QFr3iY2VeV
— Terror Alarm (@isisalarm_com) June 26, 2019
Hier Bilder nach schwerer Explosion in Haus in der Pressgasse in Wien. Druckwelle war mehrere Gassen weiter spürbar, Explosion sehr laut. Derzeit grossräumig abgesperrt, Verletzte werden versorgt. pic.twitter.com/NM7uLOGIb5
— Erich Ulrich (@Erich_Ulrich) June 26, 2019
#Explosion in der #Pressgasse: Aktuelle Bilder vom Einsatzort für #W24 #Wien pic.twitter.com/EzYYKaqYs9
— W24 (@Wien24) June 26, 2019
“(It’s) as if a bomb flew in and tore a huge hole in the facade,” a spokesman for the fire brigade said.
A spokesman for the Vienna ambulance service said there were four serious injuries, several minor ones, and no deaths. The fire brigade had similar figures but could not rule out deaths yet, their spokesman said.
The police said the partial collapse of several floors took place in up to two buildings in the fourth district of the Austrian capital, which borders the city center.
Officers cordoned off streets around the scene of the incident as they searched for further victims.
