One killed and dozens injured in Lyon gas explosion

[Vivek]

Thursday, 28 Feb 2008 18:19
Gas explosion in the French city of Lyon leaves fireman dead and 26 people injured.

A gas explosion in the French city of Lyon has left a fireman dead and 26 people injured, according to the mayor of the city.

The blast occurred on the busy Cours Lafayette shopping street at around 11:30 GMT on Thursday, police confirmed, with fire engulfing several nearby buildings.

A gas leak had been detected during road maintenance works on the central street and reported to the fire service less than an hour before the blast.

The fireman killed was a 35-year-old father of two children, who had been investigating the gas leak in the basement of a building when the explosion occurred, according to Mayor Gerard Colomb.

At least 26 people have been injured in the blast, two of them seriously, he added.

The surrounding area has since been evacuated, rescue official Serge Delaigue was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

"We do not rule out the possibility of a second explosion," he explained.

Among the injured were passers-by and employees of the GDF gas authority, according to Reuters, with one of the gas workers seriously affected by lung damage.