A gas accumulation caused a powerful explosion at an apartment building in Bistrita, Northern Romania, injuring nine people and damaging more than 60 apartments.

The explosion occurred on Wednesday morning in an apartment located on the third floor. A 24 years-old man was living in that apartment and he apparently used an improvised heating system by connecting a gas cylinder to a gas stove, reports local Mediafax.

The young man suffered severe burn injuries and was transported to a hospital in Bucharest.

Several teams of the fire department and rescue crews went to the scene.

“The Emergency Situations Inspectorate was notified that an explosion occurred at an apartment building. Nine people who needed medical assistance were found at the scene, one of them severely affected by the explosion, with burns on 70% of his body. The blast affected 40 apartments in the building where the explosion occurred, and 20-25 other apartments located in a neighboring building,” said Ioan Budurlean, spokesman for Bistrita-Nasaud Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU).

The local authorities and representatives of gas company E.On Gaz are currently investigating the incident. The authorities are also trying to find out how much the explosion affected the buildings’ resistance structure.

Some 100 people were evicted after the explosion, according to local Digi24. Some of them will stay with relatives and friends, and the rest will be accommodated in a shelter provided by the City Hall.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com