Five people killed and scores wounded in propane tank explosion
At least five people have been killed and 63 others injured in a propane tank explosion at a restaurant in Turkey.
Footage captured on street CCTV shows the front of the building being blown up to pieces in a massive explosion in the city of Izmir, the third-largest in the country.
Multiple cars and surrounding houses in the Ayrancılar neighborhood were damaged.
The force of the explosion is significant – there are debris strewn across the street; window frames and doors have been ripped apart.
Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya paid tribute to the victims in a post on X and added: ‘An explosion occurred in a restaurant in the Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood in Torbalı, Izmir, which, according to initial findings, was thought to be caused by an industrial cylinder.
‘To the incident area; two vehicles and nine personnel from Izmir Provincial AFAD, eight ambulances, two UMKE teams and 36 personnel from the Provincial Health Directorate were dispatched.’
Izmir governor Suleyman Elban visited the injured at the hospital and announced that 40 of them had already been released.
Despite immediate medical attention, one of the hospitalised victims succumbed to their wounds.
The identity of those killed in the explosion has not yet been confirmed.
Police cordoned off the area around the restaurant as a precautionary measure in the hours after.
Authorities have since detained one suspect who may have played a part in the explosion.
The man had replaced the propane tank with a new one on Saturday.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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