Two people were seriously injured this Wednesday as a result of a gas explosion in Serra das Minas in the municipality of Sintra.
The two victims were workers of a company that was carrying out gas works in the building No. 1 Pracheta Gomes Leal in the Serra das Minas area when the powerful explosion occurred. They are a 35-year-old man and a 60-year-old man. Both had about 90% of their bodies burned.
The workers were supposed to puncture a water pipe, but ended up piercing a gas pipe, which led to an explosion.
The explosion occurred at 3:25 p.m. in the third part of the house, where five people lived. When emergency services arrived, both men were already outside.
One of the injured was taken to the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, the other to the Cascais Hospital. The latter will be more serious, as he will be airlifted to the burns unit of the University Hospital of Coimbra.
PSP helped Algueirão firefighters evacuate the building where the explosion occurred and another nearby building, a total of about 30 people. There were no casualties among the residents.
The building where the explosion occurred suffered extensive damage. A wall fell and windows were broken. The Sintra municipality confirmed that 30 residents were unable to return to their homes, but guaranteed accommodation.
51 operational personnel and 16 vehicles were mobilized, including firefighters from Algueirão, PSP, at least two medical vehicles, and firefighters from Agualva.