At least seven persons including three children were injured when one of three liquified petroleum gasoline (LPG) tanks used for a taxi blew up near a junkshop in sitio Paglaum, barangay Calamba in Cebu City at past 3 a.m yesterday.
Among those hurt in the explosion, Carlito Tampon sustained the most severe injuries as he tried to break the regulator of the LPG tank that allowed the gas to escape, resulting in the blast.
Also injured were four-year-old Kimberly Labistre, five-year-old Angel Montemayor, seven-year-old Bianca Rama, 35-year-old Christiana Labistre, Junrey Douglas and Gwendolyn Montemayor.
The victims were brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) while Tampon was confined at the Cebu City Medical Center.
Most of the victims stood at the barbecue stands about three meters away from the explosion.
The LPG tank was still intact but the gas caused the fire that spread to the barbecue stands.
Erlinda Rama, Bianca’s grandmother said the children helped sell food and barbecue.
Berhildis Ong, the junkshop cashier, said Tampon tried to sell them three LPG tanks.
She refused to buy them since they were cautioned by junkshop owner Joel Ramos not to buy any LPG tanks unless they were broken into pieces.
Ong said Tampon then placed the tanks beside a narrow road and tried to break open the regulator to release the gas.
However a spark caused the gas to explode and set the barbecue stands on fire.
The fire even damaged part of a house and a sari-sari store in the area.
A driver of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama named Dennis Escaran passed by the site and secured a fire extinguisher from a nearby car battery shop to help put out the blaze.
Fire trucks arrived but the fire had subsided by then.
Escaran, a resident of barangay, Sambag Uno, said he was headed to Guadalupe when he noticed the fire.
He got a fire extinguisher from the nearby store and helped put out the fire. Escaran brought two wounded persons to a hospital.
Ramos’s wife said they will help pay for the medical expenses of the victims. Correspondents Chito Aragon and Joy Cherry Quito