6 hurt in LPG explosion

Six people were injured yesterday afternoon when a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank exploded at a shop in Sampaloc, Manila.

SPO1 Arnulfo Amor de Mesa, desk officer of Manila Police District (MPD) Station 4 in Sampaloc, said the victims were rushed to the Philippine General Hospital, University of Sto. Tomas Hospital, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, and other nearby hospitals.

According to a police report, two of the six victims sustained severe burns.

One of the victims was identified as Jimmy Tabudlo, 44, single and residing at 1238 Castaños Street, Sampaloc, Manila.

Attending physician Dr. Leo Doble of the UST Hospital said Tabudlo sustained second-degree burns in his body.

The other victims have yet to be identified as of press time last night.

Station Commander Police Superintendent Ricardo Gonzalez Jr. said the explosion happened at around 1:30 p.m. at the Baby Blue Laundry Shop and Delma’s Gaz Hauz, owned by a certain Mrs. Delma de Guzman.

Responding firefighters put out the blaze.

According to initial reports, workers were about to check on a report that one of the LPG tanks was leaking when the explosion occurred.

Village officials said the store owner would be criminally charged for storing more than 10 LPG tanks, the allowed number set by the city government.

The incident occurred amid the Bureau of Fire Protection’s heightened campaign against fire incidents during the holiday celebrations.

Superintendent Carlito Romero said in an earlier radio interview that they have so far recorded 249 fire incidents for 2008, a considerable drop from the 677 recorded last year.