Poland: gas explosion in ski resort

A gas explosion in a single-family home in southern Poland killed six people, including two children. Other people are still missing. According to the PAP news agency, the explosion occurred late Wednesday evening in Szczyrk, a well-known ski resort in the Carpathians.

The house had collapsed and gone up in flames, said a spokesman for the fire brigade TVN24. One hundred firefighters and 50 police officers are involved in the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, the fire is under control. The rescue work in the rubble is still ongoing, tracking dogs are in action. "We have to search the rubble by hand, heavy equipment can not be used," said Jaroslaw Wieczorek, head of administration of Silesian Voivodeship. A total of nine people lived in the house, one of which was not at home at the time of the explosion.

The Polish gas utility PSG assumes that a gas pipeline was damaged during construction work directly in front of the house. A spokesman said they had registered a sudden drop in gas pressure. Also had been found in the vicinity of the accident site devices that may have damaged the line in their use. The exact cause of the accident must still be determined.