12 hurt in Laguna LPG tank explosion

SAN PEDRO CITY—Twelve persons, six of them children, were injured after a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank exploded in Kalayaan, Laguna, on Wednesday.

In a text message yesterday, Rommel Palacol, of the Laguna Action Center, said the explosion took place around 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a house in Barangay Longos.

The victims, he said, suffered first to third degree burns and were confined at Gen. Cailles Hospital in the adjacent town of Pakil.

The action center said the victims were mostly members of the Beljica family—Richard Beljica Sr., Richard Jr., Jennalyn Mae, John Efren, Ester, Jing-jing, Roderick and Princess Chloe.

The other injured were identified as Aira Thea Endiente, Geraldine Villanueva, Bernadette Berin and Daisy Likigan.

Chief Insp. Jaime Pederio, Kalayaan’s police chief, said in a phone interview that initial investigation showed that the explosion, which happened inside the Beljica’s home, happened after someone lit a candle near what was believed to be a leaking LPG tank.

Originally posted: 11:42 AM August 27th, 2015