At least eleven people have been killed, including a child, and 13 others injured by the explosion last night of a liquefied gas tank that destroyed a three-story building in the northeastern Iraqi city of Suleimaniya, according to the latest toll provided Friday by the provincial Health Department and reported by the official Iraqi news agency, INA.
According to initial investigations, the gas tank that exploded in the Kazui neighborhood was located on the rooftop. The detonation caused the immediate collapse of the upper floor and set off a chain reaction that engulfed the two houses below.
At least six people are currently trapped in the rubble, emergency sources told the Kurdish news agency Rudaw. In one of the houses, according to witnesses, there were about thirty people celebrating a party.
Rescue teams have been searching through the wreckage of the buildings all night and the rescue work will continue at least through Friday.
The governor of the province, Haval abu Bakr, has declared a 24-hour official mourning period on Friday in memory of the victims of the explosion.
