93-year-old suspected of deliberately causing gas explosion in Vienna – nine injured
A gas explosion in Vienna's Floridsdorf district destroyed a detached house and injured nine people. Police suspect the 93-year-old resident deliberately caused the blast.
93-year-old suspected of deliberately causing gas explosion in Vienna – nine injured
A 93-year-old resident of a detached house in Vienna's Floridsdorf district is suspected of deliberately causing a gas explosion in the early hours of Sunday. The detonation completely destroyed his home and injured nine people in total, including the suspected perpetrator himself.
The explosion also caused considerable damage to neighbouring houses. Three people, including the accused, had to be admitted to hospital. According to police, the motive for the act is the subject of ongoing investigations, reported the APA news agency.
Among the injured is also a 25-year-old pregnant woman who was taken to hospital. Six other residents were treated by rescue personnel on site and were subsequently discharged into home care.
The house was completely destroyed by the explosion and partially set on fire. "Firefighting was immediately started, as well as checking the damaged houses and vehicles," Vienna fire service personnel said.
Subsequently, emergency crews searched the rubble with rescue dogs. One of the dogs marked a location where a buried person lay. A specialist team then located the 93-year-old using a camera probe and freed him.
On suspicion of deliberate general endangerment, the man was arrested on the orders of the public prosecutor's office. As he is receiving treatment in hospital, he is under police guard there. Investigators from Vienna's State Criminal Police Office took over the case.
The exact background to the act remains unclear. According to Austrian media, a dispute over a property could have been the motive, but a police spokesperson was unwilling to confirm this to APA. He pointed to a planned interrogation of the 93-year-old, the date of which has not yet been set as the man is in intensive care.
Source: Pluska.sk
Source: Nový Čas