Eight injured, two seriously, by an explosion following a gas leak in Plaça de Sants

BarcelonaNew incident with metro works in Barcelona. This Wednesday night, an explosion followed by a fire occurred at the metro works in Plaça de Sants, leaving eight people injured, all men. Two of the affected are in serious condition, three in less serious condition, and three in mild condition. Nine units from the Barcelona Firefighters and eight ambulances from the Emergency Medical System (SEM) were dispatched to the scene of the accident. This Thursday morning, a large flare-up continues to burn in the area while emergency teams work to control the gas leak.

According to municipal sources, the origin of the incident dates back to 14:40, when a gas pipe was affected during accessibility works at the Plaça de Sants station on line L5, causing a leak. At that time, no fire occurred, but hours later, around 22:50, while repair work was being carried out on the pipeline, an explosion occurred and flames ignited, affecting eight people.

The SEM has mobilized eight ambulances to attend to the eight male victims of the incident. Two were seriously injured and were transferred to Vall d'Hebron Hospital, where two less seriously injured individuals were also admitted. The other less seriously injured victim was transferred to Hospital Clínic, where the three minor injuries were also treated.

Municipal sources assure that from the moment the leak was detected, safety protocols were activated. Nine units of the Barcelona Fire Department and personnel from the gas supply company were dispatched to the area to control the incident. The Procicat pre-alert was also activated and, as a preventive measure, traffic was diverted and a security perimeter was established.

This Thursday morning, emergency teams continue to work in the area to control the incident. A large flare-up remains visible in Plaça de Sants while technicians try to cut off the gas flow, a complex operation because it requires action at different points in the distribution network. The Guardia Urbana has established a security perimeter and it has not been necessary to evacuate or confine residents, although the Fire Department has asked them to stay at home while the tasks continue. For the moment, it is unknown what caused the ignition.

The councilwoman for the Sants-Montjuïc district, Raquel Gil, explained that residents have been asked not to go out onto their balconies and to lower their blinds for "security reasons". "We hope that in a couple of hours, when the flames are already extinguished, they can go out again normally," she stated.