Ajman: An Asian woman sustained moderate injuries after a gas cylinder exploded at an apartment in a building located in Al Jurf area of Ajman on Thursday afternoon. The explosion partially damaged the four-storey building.
Brigadier Rashid Jasem Mijlad, director-general of Ajman Civil Defence, said the operation room received a call at 12.17pm reporting the explosion on the fourth floor.
When police and paramedics arrived at the scene, they found the site badly damaged including the kitchen of the apartment, shattered windows and a collapsed kitchen wall, informed Brigadier Mijlad.
The explosion damaged apartments on the same floor and cars parked below the building.
The residents of the building were evacuated by rescue personnel.
The latest gas-cylinder explosion follows a string of similar incidents across the UAE since mid-2016 causing deaths or injuries to victims.
On April 19 this year, one Ethiopian maid died and three other maids suffered burns in a gas cylinder explosion in a villa in Al Jurf area in Ajman.
In December 2016, an Arab man sustained severe burns after a gas cylinder exploded in his car in Al Hamidyah area of Ajman. The cylinder was in the trunk of the car when it exploded, causing the car to burst into flames.
On January 18 this year, an Ethiopian housemaid, who sustained serious burns in a gas cylinder explosion at her employer’s residence in Ras Al Khaimah, died in hospital. She was preparing lunch when the blast tore through her employer’s kitchen after a gas leak.
On August 24, 2016, an explosion ripped through an apartment in Al Khail Gate community in Dubai critically injuring two women, while a baby sustained minor injuries. One of the women, the mother of the other woman, succumbed to the injuries in the hospital.
Brigadier Mijlad urged residents to follow safety instructions for storage and use of gas cylinders including keeping them away from sunlight or heat and away from the stove. Regular checks for structural damage and leaks, placing cylinders in an upright position, and keeping them in a well-ventilated and covered area are important, he advised.
