BLAST RIPS THROUGH TWO ADJACENT APARTMENT BUILDINGS IN SWEDEN
Swedish police say a blast ripped through two adjacent apartment buildings in its southern city of Linkoping. It isn’t immediately clear if there are casualties, but local media are reporting at least 19 received minor injuries in the blast.
The explosion has blown out windows and destroyed balconies in the buildings in central Linkoping, about 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Stockholm. One of the buildings had five stories, while the other had four floors.
Police said a bomb squad had been deployed to the area after Friday’s blast, which occurred shortly after 0700 GMT (3 am EDT) and local media reported at least 20 ambulances rushed to the scene.
The cause of the blast wasn’t immediately known.
A spokeswoman at Linkoping University Hospital said several people had been taken to hospital after the incident but that she did not know exactly how many.
Several people spoke to Swedish media outlet, Aftonbladet in the immediate aftermath of the blast.
Witness Pontus Johansson lived opposite the house where the explosion happened. ‘I was standing in the shower and noticed that it was shaking...it rumbled, like thunder, though more sharp.
‘It’s pretty much chaos, and quite a lot of police here outside.’
Jonas Lassmark’s grandmother Brigitta lives in an apartment nearby. He described scenes of absolute chaos.
‘She was really scared, called my dad and so I had to run here. I would say that she lives about 100 metres [330 feet] from where it slammed.
‘All the windows are broken in her apartment... There is [debris] in her bed.’
Gösta Sundin, 85, lives on the ground floor of the house where the explosion occurred.
He told Aftonbladet he heard the explosion at 9am.
‘The whole house shook. I went out and then a lot of ambulances arrived.
‘The police blocked off [the area] around the house and said not to stay outside, so I went into my apartment again.’
He said the glass panes were completely destroyed at the hairdressing salon and the driving school near the affected house.
Photos being shared on social media show two multi-storey buildings with shattered windows and wrecked balconies, with some damage to their roofs also visible.
Police said in a statement that several blocks around the area had been cordoned off but that there were no plans to evacuate residents.
While the cause of the apparent explosion was not clear, Sweden has seen several cases in recent years where explosives were used in suspected gang-related attacks.
The explosion has blown out windows and destroyed balconies in the buildings in central Linkoping, about 175 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Stockholm. One of the buildings had five stories, while the other had four floors