Prague Gas Explosion: Not Terrorist Attack, But 40 Were Injured

On Monday morning, an explosion ripped through the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague, injuring over 35 people. Experts on the scene now believe that this incident was a result of a gas leak rather than a terrorist attack, and are clearing the five major streets affected by the blast.

Presumably, this explosion was the result of natural gas. It may be possible that some are still trapped in the rubble, but most authorities in the Czech Republic are saying that there were no fatalities from the accident. The building housed an art gallery and an office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).  It is estimated that around 15 people were in the building when the explosion occurred. 

Many of the 35 injuries resulted from the falling glass propelled by the explosion. Four of those 35 people are now in critical condition. First responders are working to stabilize the buildings in order to best address the needs of those in the area.  Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the surrounding area. The two universities in the area have cancelled class for the rest of the week, and Prague's historic National Theater located nearby has yet to make plans for its schedule as the responders clear and stabilize the area. Czech media reports that the walls of buildings in the area were moved by up to five centimeters by the blast. 

Gawker reports (when not discussing the Lindsay Lohan lookalike affected by the explosion) that this incident was not a terrorist attack, which was the fear of those around the world watching the event with trepidation. Americans were recently reminded of the existence of the Czech Republic after the Boston Marathon bombing suspects were identified as naturalized Americans from Chechnya, which sparked confusion from those unaware of the differences between the locations. "We can now confirm this was a gas explosion. It was not a terrorist attack," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told reporters (including CNN) Monday. Regardless of the cause, Prague natives will be recovering and cleaning up after the explosion for weeks to come.