At least 14 injured in Sulaimani gas explosion

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An explosion reportedly caused by a gas leak at a cafeteria in Sulaimani early Thursday left at least 14 people injured, with some suffering from severe wounds, a health official told Rudaw.

A two-story cafeteria was destroyed after a fire raged in the building on the city’s Salim Street at around 1:00 am.

At least 14 people have been injured in the incident, Saman Latif, spokesperson for Sulaimani’s health directorate told Rudaw.

Four of the injured are suffering from severe wounds and are in need of surgery, Latif added.

Emergency and civil defense teams and security forces have been dispersed in the area for hours, attempting to search for civilians trapped under the ruins of the building.

Head of the joint committees of Sulaimani governor's office Rekan Jamal on Thursday afternoon confirmed that the explosion occurred due to gas leak in the back of the building.

Jamal added that no casualties were reported. 

The fire has also caused material damage to a nearby house and buildings, whose owners can file a lawsuit to be compensated, Jamal stated. 

Initial reports suggested that a gas tank had exploded in the area. However, a civil defense official denied such reports saying the accident occurred of a “gas leak.”

The incident is under investigation.

Fires are a perennial concern in the Kurdistan Region where safety precautions are often lacking.

Two people died in a hotel in Erbil after a gas tank exploded in September, three months after a shopping center went up in flames in the Kurdish capital.