Explosion at Romanian Home Improvement Store Injures 13

An explosion at a chain home improvement store in northeastern Romania on Friday injured at least 13 people, four seriously, authorities said.

An explosion at a home improvement store in northeastern Romania on Friday injured at least 13 people, four seriously, authorities said.

A mobile intensive care unit was dispatched to the scene in the town of Botosani, in Suceava county, emergency authorities said. Four of the injured are in serious condition and two are intubated, while 10 were conscious but suffered "various traumas and burns" and are receiving medical attention.

Emergency helicopters were alerted, and two ambulances and two fire trucks were sent to the scene to extinguish a fire. A search and rescue mission was underway inside the store.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, nor whether the injured were customers or staff members.

Some of the injured suffered burns of 10-15% to the upper parts of their bodies, it said.

Two of the victims in serious condition will be transported to a hospital in the city of Iasi, about 68 miles to the south, while two will be airlifted to the capital, Bucharest, to receive faster medical care, according to the ministry of health.

Video footage shared by the emergency authorities showed part of the building’s facade had been blown out by the explosion, with air-conditioning units strewn across the area in front of the store amid a blanket of debris.

The explosion caused significant damage to the store, with part of the roof caving in and windows shattered.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.