Sixteen people were injured, including four seriously, in a fire that occurred after an explosion in a building in Gothenburg (west) on Tuesday morning.
According to several testimonies, at least one explosion was heard in this long residential building in the Annedal district, a little before 5 a.m., quickly invaded, as far as the garages, by the smoke of a large fire.
The police favor the criminal track, while in the middle of the day, the flames are still not under control.
Police rules out natural causes Press Conf half an hour ago;
sit still not under control.
Among all those taken to hospital six are seriously injured.
Dramatic rescue stories emerging # Göteborg #Sweden #svpol explosion pic.twitter.com/oDoJ21TmHy
- Zirr (@ItsAzirr) September 28, 2021
Sixteen people were transported to Gothenburg University Hospital, according to the institution's spokesperson, Ingrid Fredriksson.
Among them, three women and a man are seriously injured.
They are between 60 and 80 years old.
Hundreds of people were evacuated.
Unable to be able to leave the premises by the stairs, some residents decided to go through the balconies with the help of sheets.
The trail of an explosive device
According to images released in local media, thick white smoke continued to escape the building late in the morning, as ambulances, fire trucks and rescue teams flooded the area. “The site has been cordoned off and relief operations are underway,” said Hans-Jörgen Östler, spokesperson for the regional police. "As soon as the site is secure, we will begin a technical investigation to determine the cause of the fire and explosion," he added.
According to police sources quoted by the local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, an explosive device may have been placed in front of one of the entrance gates. The fire then started in several stairwells. "An explosion in a residential area, or an explosion in general, is generally not of natural origin", especially as the building is not supplied with gas, argued the head of operations of relief, John Pile. Thomas Fuxborg, the spokesperson for the police, echoed: for the moment, the authorities see no natural explanation for the explosion. The technical investigation can only begin once the fire is completely extinguished.
In the meantime, the police focus on one question: can there be among the residents or the shopkeepers on the ground floor someone who has allegedly been targeted by a willful criminal act?
Sweden has struggled for several years to counter the rise of criminal gangs, which has notably resulted in a high number of fatal shootings, explosions and settling of scores in an otherwise rather peaceful country.
Last year, more than a hundred detonations were recorded, and 102 other incidents concerning attempted explosions or preparations.
Few of these cases are cleared up.
