A gas cylinder explosion in a traditional restaurant in Waziriyah district in south Jeddah injured 24 people, one of them seriously, on Saturday, said Lt. Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman of Civil Defense in the Makkah province.
“We received news of the explosion in the evening and learned that several people were injured in the accident,” Sarhan said. The department sent its fire-fighting and support units immediately to the site.
As a result of the explosion, fire broke out in the restaurant. The fire engulfed an area of 150 sq. meters. Civil Defense rescue workers took the injured out of the restaurant while the Red Crescent provided them first aid.
He said the injured included some of the restaurant’s customers and workers. Seventeen of them were taken to King Abdul Aziz Hospital while six others were admitted to King Fahd Hospital for treatment.
“The injured person admitted to Al-Thager Hospital is in a serious condition,” the spokesman said. Fifteen of the injured were Saudis and the remiander Yemenis.
Police launched an investigation into the blast with the support of crime experts and found that it was caused by an explosion of a gas cylinder. Jamia Municipality has taken over the restaurant as security agents continue their investigations.
Sami Badawood, director of health affairs in Jeddah, said his department received information from the Civil Defense at about 11.30 p.m. that many people were injured in the blast.
“Soon after the intimation we alerted King Abdul Aziz, King Fahd and Al-Thager hospitals to take measures to treat the injured,” he said.
In a related development, the Civil Defense received information about another fire that gutted a workshop complex in the Industrial City, north of Jeddah. Civil Defense firefighters controlled the fire in one hour and 20 minutes. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, in which nobody was injured.
