Justice · Jafarabad explosionJafarabad gas explosion kills four; two arrested over sewer excavationAired October 28, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTCWritten October 28, 2026 at 2:21 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07A gas explosion killed four people and destroyed a home in Jafarabad.0:11More than eight other homes were damaged.0:12A prosecutor has announced two arrests in an investigation into damage to a gas line0:17during sewer excavation.0:19Investigators still have to determine which failures exposed residents to the blast0:23and who bears responsibility.0:24The explosion struck the Molakasini neighborhood of Jafarabad in Kermanshah Iran on0:29October26,2026 .0:31Fire service command received the alert early that afternoon, and crews were sent0:35from nearby stations.0:37Twelve firefighters responded with four emergency vehicles.0:40Provincial crisis management officials put their arrival at about nine minutes after0:44notification.0:45The destruction extended beyond the collapsed home.0:47An early Red Crescent assessment counted four affected residential units.0:51Subsequent assessments described one home completely destroyed and more than eight0:55others damaged.0:56The Red Crescent sent five operational teams.0:59Director Afshin Yagane described an assessment team, two search dog teams and a1:04rapid response rubble clearance team.1:07A women's Tavana team also joined the operation and treated injured people at the1:10scene.1:11Firefighters worked alongside those rescuers, emergency medical personnel and water,1:15electricity and gas service crews.1:17The scale of the collapse prompted requests for extra search teams because people1:21could be trapped underneath.1:22Crews also checked damaged areas and assessed the safety of neighboring buildings.1:27Search and rubble clearance ended after about eight hours of work.1:30The fire chief announced completion after an earlier morning statement still1:33described checks continuing.1:35At that earlier stage, nabbers and relatives hadn't identified another person1:39believed to be trapped.1:41One man was taken to hospital and died there.1:43Rescuers recovered a woman and two other men dead beneath the rubble.1:47Those four deaths are consistent across the later official statements.1:50The injury figures vary, and the officials haven't explained all the differences.1:54The Red Crescent director counted twelve injured on October twenty sixth.1:58The next day, the crisis, management director gave fourteen, and the fire chief2:02eleven.2:02The prosecutor later gave ten other people injured.2:05He hasn't reconciled that figure with the earlier counts.2:08The earlier figures include people who were treated in different settings.2:11Yagani said nine people were taken to medical facilities and three received2:15treatment at the scene.2:16Some injured people received outpatient care and were discharged.2:19The hospital death also appears within the initial injury counts.2:22Medifatehan said ten of the fourteen initially injured were transferred to medical2:27facilities, and one of those ten died.2:29Fire Chief Said Ghaderi also included a person who later died in hospital within his2:33account of eleven injured.2:34Fatihan said the nine remaining patients were still under treatment and in generally2:38satisfactory condition on the morning of October twenty-seventh.2:42That was their condition then.2:43Ten other people injured remains the prosecutor's later figure, without an2:46announcement that it settles the earlier differences.2:49An excavator striking a gas pipe during sewer installation was the initial2:52explanation for the blast.2:53Fatahan said experts would determine the precise cause.2:56Kaderi identified a city gas leak as the immediate mechanism, while the technical3:01investigation continued.3:02The work involved the water and wastewater utilities sewer piping project.3:07In the morning.3:08Fatihan said water and electricity were connected in the neighborhood.3:11The criminal investigation now reaches beyond the damaged pipe to the safety of the3:15excavation and the people responsible for supervising it.3:17Prosecutor Hamidresa Karimi announced two arrests after initial inquiries.3:22He alleges failures to observe safety requirements and damage to gas distribution3:26lines during sewer excavation.3:28The detained people's identities and specific charges haven't been disclosed, and3:32their guilt hasn't been decided.3:33Karimi said investigators would examine possible failures of supervision,3:37contractors' compliance with safety instructions and shortcomings in carrying out3:40the project.3:41Responsibility could extend to other people or organizations.3:44Anyone whose negligence or supervisory failures are proven could face criminal and3:48civil liability, depending on their role.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSS
