Gas explosion rips apart Amman restaurant, 1 injured

AMMAN — An explosion caused by a gas leak at a restaurant on Rainbow Street on Wednesday injured one person, levelling the building and damaging nearby businesses, the Civil Defence Department (CDD) said.

A  CDD cadre administered first aid to the injured and took him to Al Hussein Medical City. He was reported to be in good condition.

The Public Security Department (PSD) personnel arrived at the scene to regulate traffic while the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) cadre started removing the debris from the explosion, the CDD said in a statement.

Amman Deputy Mayor Mekhled Al Manaseer visited the site and commended the authorities' efforts and swift response, a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times said, adding that the injured was a PSD officer.

GAM's Executive Director of Construction Supervision Yousef Dalabeeh said the public safety committee's report said the damage and evacuation were for the restaurant only, and there is no need to evacuate any neighbouring buildings, but they still require maintenance due to the damages sustained. 

This explosion is the third within a span of 60 days, as on August 20, the CDD dealt with an explosion at a restaurant in the Medina Street vicinity. No injuries were reported at the time. 

Moreover, on July 4, two people were killed and three others were injured in an explosion caused by a gas leak at a restaurant in downtown Amman.

The deceased were the branch manager and an Egyptian worker.

CDD personnel have undergone training to deal with large-scale gas leaks. On April 29, a drill was carried out at KEPCO KPS, an electricity general station, simulating a gas leak from the pipeline that feeds the station.

The training also covered the possibility of having several employees sustain various injuries while also taking into account the panic element during fire, according to the CDD.