The wreckage of the bus and concrete slabs that were dislodged from their positions at the site of the blast at the Al Hilal petrol station yesterday.
More than 50 people were injured, seven of them seriously, when the underground fuel storage tank at a petrol station in the Hilal area exploded yesterday morning.
A bus carrying workers to a construction site bore the brunt of the blast and most of the casualties were passengers of the “yellow GMC” vehicle which was refueling at the time of the incident.
According to sources, at least one of the injured was an employee of the station, which is located on the road from The Mall roundabout to the E Ring road (Tumama roundabout). They said the injured were mostly Asian workers traveling in the bus.
A major tragedy was averted as the incident happened early in the morning when there were only a few vehicles at the station. The underground diesel tank burst with a loud bang at around 5am, witnesses said.
They said the ground exploded under the bus and the passengers and the wreckage were “thrown up” in the ensuing force. The bus landed in a ditch produced by the blast.
The fuel station, which has over a dozen dispensers, suffered extensive damage and has been closed down until further orders.
Shops located on the premises also sustained minor damage in the blast and authorities did not allow the outlets to open yesterday.
Power supply to all the establishments in the compound was disconnected by the Civil Defense personnel who arrived on the spot “minutes after they were informed of the incident”.
A Civil Defense official said the reason for the explosion seemed to be the building up of pressure in the underground fuel tank. “Further investigations are on,” he added.
HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani visited the scene.
A source said that power supply to the shops, including a supermarket, juice stalls and an ice cream parlor on the station’s premises, is expected to be restored today.
Glass panes of windows in the vicinity of the station were shattered in the blast that woke up the residents of buildings close to the station.
“There was another bus waiting to be refueled and a couple of cars at the time of the incident but they escaped with minor damage,” the source said.
"There are three types of men:
One who makes things happen;
One who watches things happen;
One who wonders what happen."
The wreckage of the bus and concrete slabs that were dislodged from their positions at the site of the blast at the Al Hilal petrol station yesterday.
More than 50 people were injured, seven of them seriously, when the underground fuel storage tank at a petrol station in the Hilal area exploded yesterday morning.
A bus carrying workers to a construction site bore the brunt of the blast and most of the casualties were passengers of the “yellow GMC” vehicle which was refueling at the time of the incident.
According to sources, at least one of the injured was an employee of the station, which is located on the road from The Mall roundabout to the E Ring road (Tumama roundabout). They said the injured were mostly Asian workers traveling in the bus.
A major tragedy was averted as the incident happened early in the morning when there were only a few vehicles at the station. The underground diesel tank burst with a loud bang at around 5am, witnesses said.
They said the ground exploded under the bus and the passengers and the wreckage were “thrown up” in the ensuing force. The bus landed in a ditch produced by the blast.
The fuel station, which has over a dozen dispensers, suffered extensive damage and has been closed down until further orders.
Shops located on the premises also sustained minor damage in the blast and authorities did not allow the outlets to open yesterday.
Power supply to all the establishments in the compound was disconnected by the Civil Defense personnel who arrived on the spot “minutes after they were informed of the incident”.
A Civil Defense official said the reason for the explosion seemed to be the building up of pressure in the underground fuel tank. “Further investigations are on,” he added.
HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani visited the scene.
A source said that power supply to the shops, including a supermarket, juice stalls and an ice cream parlor on the station’s premises, is expected to be restored today.
Glass panes of windows in the vicinity of the station were shattered in the blast that woke up the residents of buildings close to the station.
“There was another bus waiting to be refueled and a couple of cars at the time of the incident but they escaped with minor damage,” the source said.
"There are three types of men:
One who makes things happen;
One who watches things happen;
One who wonders what happen."