At least sixteen people have been injured by a gas explosion at a bar in southern Spain.
The incident unfolded at the Casa Javi bar in Lo Pagan, within the municipality of San Pedro del Pinatar.
At 12.30pm, the 112 emergency service received more than 25 calls reporting the explosion, which occurred at the establishment located on Calle Torres Fontes.
The Emergency Coordination Center reports significant material damage to the establishment, which was closed to the public.
The two people in the most serious condition, who suffered burns, were taken to the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital for treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
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A third person with serious injuries was taken to Los Arcos del Mar Menor.
One person with less serious injuries was also taken to the latter center, while two others were taken to Santa Lucia Hospital in Cartagena.
Finally, 10 people with minor injuries were taken to Los Arcos and the local health centre.
At the time of the explosion, the weekly market was being held on the street next to the bar.
Some of the stalls were also damaged by the blast. CEIS firefighters extinguished the fire and reported that the building had no structural damage.
Local Police patrols, City Council Emergency and Civil Protection Service personnel, firefighters from the Murcia Region Fire and Rescue Consortium, and ambulances and paramedics from the 061 Emergency and Health Emergency Management Service were dispatched to the scene.
The same bar caught fire a year ago, when firefighters had to intervene to extinguish the flames. The fire affected both the establishment and the apartment above it.
The town of San Pedro del Pinatar is currently celebrating its patron saint festival, but the activities planned for this Thursday are suspended due to the incident.
‘We in the town are shocked,’ said Mayor Pedro Javier Sanchez. ‘We hope they recover; that’s our only wish.’
