Four people were killed following a gas explosion at a highway construction site in Romania Thursday, emergency authorities said.
The blast happened around 1 a.m. near the eastern town of Calimanesti, the emergency office said in a statement.
It was caused by “cracking of a gas transport pipe and the appearance of mechanical sparks” during construction work, spokesman Florin Olaru said.
Media reported that workers hit the pipeline with a digger, causing the explosion. Two of the injured, with burns affecting 40% of their bodies, were transported to Bucharest for medical care.
Authorities sealed off the area some 500 yards from the blast site as firefighters worked to contain the fire, the statement said.
Four people were found dead on site while three with burns were transferred to an emergency hospital in the town of Adjud.
Last month, three were killed and dozens injured after explosions at a liquefied petroleum gas station near the capital Bucharest. It was the latest in a number of fires that have broken out in Romania.
