TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite – A laborer died while three others were injured when an acetylene tank exploded at a construction site in the local government unit's command center in Barangay Gregorio 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Asnan of Trece Martires City Police Station identified the fatality as Eddie Boy Villar, a construction worker who died on the spot after losing an arm and a leg in the explosion.
"May lumang pundasyon, kina-cut 'yung mga bakal, ina-acetylene niya, ng biktima (There is an old foundation, the victim was cutting the metal using acetylene)," Asnan told the Manila Bulletin.
"Diumano po 'yung LPG, maaari pong nag-leak, sumingaw. 'Yun po siguro ang cause nang pagsabog (Apparently, the LPG could have leaked. That might have been the cause of the explosion)."
The injured victims were identified as Jason Reyes, Valentin Dimailig, and Ian Nacap. They were taken to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital after sustaining wounds from explosion debris.
"Malakas po ang pagsabog niya, kahit kulang-kulang isang kilometro kami dito sa police station, malakas talaga eh. Akala ko nga gasolinahan 'yung sumabog, yumanig po (The explosion was really strong, even though our police station is around one kilometer away, it was strong. I even thought a gasoline station exploded, it trembled)," Asnan said.
An SUV and a car were damaged after getting hit by debris from the explosion. The impact also broke the glass windows of a building beside the construction site.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Gemma Buendia Lubigan expressed condolences to the family of the construction worker who died in the incident and said she is hoping for immediate recovery of the injured victims.