A man was flung out of his apartment that blew up in a gas explosion in Sharjah early Friday.
The 50-year-old Asian man suffered moderate injuries, according to Sharjah Civil Defence.
The blast, caused by a gas leak, shattered windows of the building, and damaged other apartments and vehicles parked nearby. Rescue workers evacuated 77 tenants from the residential building located in Sharjah Industrial Area 10.
“The apartment is located on the first floor, if it wasn’t, this man could have been killed due to the fall,” said Colonel Adel Al Mazmi, a fire expert at the Sharjah Criminal Laboratory.
He said the strong explosion was caused by a heavy gas leak.
The kitchen was thick with butane gas from the leak, he said, adding that two walls of the apartment collapsed on five cars parked below.
Fire crew and experts from the civil defence headquarters and other units in Sharjah were dispatched to the scene.
Col Al Mazmi said the tenants will be provided with temporary accommodation until completion of maintenance work.
The injured man is undergoing treatment at Al Kuwaiti hospital.
Civil Defence authorities have called on all residents to check gas cylinder pipes for safety.
