In the explosion shortly after 9 p.m. in a residential and commercial building, four people suffered serious injuries, two of whom are in acute danger of life – including a few weeks old baby. The police announced on Friday morning. Some of the injured had massive burns.
Escaping gas is said to be the cause
Adjacent houses were also badly damaged by the force of the explosion. Whether the accident house itself or neighboring houses are in danger of collapsing must now be checked. Until then, residents will not be allowed to return to their homes. The number of evacuees was still unclear at night.
According to initial findings, escaping gas should have been the cause. The force of the detonation shattered all the window panes within a radius of 50 meters. Shops opposite the house from which the detonation wave came were also in ruins. The explosion also unleashed a fire that kept a large contingent of firefighters from the region busy for hours.
Authorities assume misfortune
The police and fire brigade received support from the Eschweiler Technical Relief Agency. The fire was out by 2 a.m. However, embers were discovered later. Around 200 forces were deployed. The extinguishing work continued in the early morning. The authorities assumed it was an accident. So far, there is no evidence of a crime, it said.