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1 dead, 7 rescued after gas explosion levels Baltimore homes

Published:Tuesday | August 11, 2020 | 9:57 AM
Debris and rubble cover the ground in the aftermath of an explosion in Baltimore on Monday, August 10, 2020. Baltimore firefighters say an explosion has leveled several homes in the city. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

BALTIMORE (AP) — A natural gas explosion destroyed three row houses in Baltimore on Monday morning, killing a woman and trapping other people in the debris.

At least seven people were seriously injured, and firefighters were searching for more survivors.

Dozens of firefighters converged on the piles of rubble.

A fourth house in the row was ripped open, and windows were shattered in nearby homes, leaving the northwest Baltimore neighbourhood of Reisterstown Station strewn with glass and other rubble.

“It’s a disaster. It’s a mess. It’s unbelievable,” said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open. “I’m still shaken up,” she said hours later.

Seven people were hospitalised, while a woman was pronounced dead at the scene, The Baltimore City Fire Department said on its Twitter page.

One person transported to the University of Maryland Medical Center is in critical condition, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Rescuers were painstakingly going through the rubble by hand, prepared to work into the night.

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