Two people have died following the explosion that occurred on Friday morning in a block of flats in Sector 5 of the capital.

‘Search and rescue operations are ongoing,’ the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISUBIF) announced.

Another nine injured individuals have been transported to emergency hospitals in Bucharest with multiple traumatic injuries.

According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), the gas supply has been cut off, and the following resources have been deployed to the scene: 11 fire engines, three ladder trucks, two extrication vehicles, 18 SMURD (Mobile Emergency Service for Reanimation and Extrication) ambulances, four mobile intensive care units, a mobile command post, a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) response unit, two multi-risk containers (one from the Special Emergency Intervention Unit), the Special Rescue Group, an advanced medical post, five vehicles for the transport of personnel and multiple casualties, and the medical rescue operations director.

‘Rescuers on the scene are evacuating residents from the affected building and continuing search missions to identify any other possible persons who may be trapped,’ the IGSU reported.

Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) head Raed Arafat announced that the SMURD Bucharest head and the ISUBIF chief inspector are present at the site.

AGERPRES