A massive explosion in the suburb of Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand, left one person dead and saw six others taken to hospital.
The explosion occurred at the intersection of Victoria Street and Athens and Mt Smart Roads where work was underway to connect two large watermains. The site is a major junction in the Auckland water system, and work on the system had been ongoing for four months.
Watercare Services, a bulk water supplier, told One News that it was “a very dark hour” for the company.
The news service was told that of the six men transported to hospital, one had been given the okay to leave. Another who had suffered traumatic injuries had been operated on and was in a critical condition. The four remaining men, whose injuries varied from serious to traumatic, were said to be in a stable state.
The explosion occurred some time after 7.15 a.m. after a crew, specialised in working in confined spaces, had entered the area of the Hunua 3 main that had been excavated. They were to inspect the work prior to connection, said One News.
Watercare chief executive, Mark Ford, says that they did not know what caused the accident but that the company was working closely with local authorities.
“It is with deep sadness that I confirm there was a serious incident at the site. ... Many of the crew on site are like family to us, and my heart goes out to all of those affected by what has happened,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
The fire service entered the tunnel with gas detectors to assess the situation. Although they were unable to identify the gases present, they were found to be at non-toxic levels but had flammable properties, the newspaper learned.
The explosion occurred at the intersection of Victoria Street and Athens and Mt Smart Roads where work was underway to connect two large watermains. The site is a major junction in the Auckland water system, and work on the system had been ongoing for four months.
Watercare Services, a bulk water supplier, told One News that it was “a very dark hour” for the company.
The news service was told that of the six men transported to hospital, one had been given the okay to leave. Another who had suffered traumatic injuries had been operated on and was in a critical condition. The four remaining men, whose injuries varied from serious to traumatic, were said to be in a stable state.
The explosion occurred some time after 7.15 a.m. after a crew, specialised in working in confined spaces, had entered the area of the Hunua 3 main that had been excavated. They were to inspect the work prior to connection, said One News.
Watercare chief executive, Mark Ford, says that they did not know what caused the accident but that the company was working closely with local authorities.
“It is with deep sadness that I confirm there was a serious incident at the site. ... Many of the crew on site are like family to us, and my heart goes out to all of those affected by what has happened,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
The fire service entered the tunnel with gas detectors to assess the situation. Although they were unable to identify the gases present, they were found to be at non-toxic levels but had flammable properties, the newspaper learned.
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