Gas blast injures 14 in Britain

A gas blast on Tuesday injured 14 people, destroying four homes in Salford, Greater Manchester in Britain.

Among the injured, a 76-year-old woman suffered burns up to 30 percent of her body in the explosion and 13 others, including five children, were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Geoff Ackroyd, a fire and rescue service director, said, "When the firefighters arrived, it was utter chaos. There was quite a demolished building, people running everywhere."

It emerged that a refurbishment work had been carried out in the kitchen of the house at the center of the blast before it broke out.

While an investigation is under way, an exclusion zone of 600 meters around the blast properties was set up as a precaution measure.

Source: Xinhua