Friday, May 02, 2008

8 Injured In Zamboanga LPG Blast

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 02, 2008) – A cooking gas explosion injured eight people in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said Friday.

Police said the blast on Thursday also injured a four-year old boy in the village of Talon-Talon. Four of the victims suffered burns on their body and were rushed to hospital by neighbors who rescued them from the ruins of their house.

Investigators said the blast was caused by a leak from a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder.

LPG is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases also used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. Ethanol, a powerful odorant, is added so that leaks can be detected easily, but it is also flammable and burns in air with a blue flame

LPG is manufactured during the refining of crude oil, or extracted from oil or gas streams as they emerge from the ground.

There had been several incidents involving cooking gas explosions in the past in Zamboanga, but authorities blamed human factor in the safety of using LPG.

LPG is also widely used by commercial vehicles in Zamboanga City and other cities in Mindanao, especially on taxis and cargo trucks because it is cheaper than diesel fuel and gasoline.

It is also cleaner than diesel and petrol, but domestic LPG explosions were the main cause of fire in many homes because of faulty gas cylinders. Hundreds of fires had been attributed to LPG explosions the past years in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

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