One killed, 30 injured in gas explosion in Lanús, Argentina, after pipe damaged

A gas explosion in the Remedios de Escalada district of Lanús, Buenos Aires province, on Friday morning (November 13) killed one person and injured 30, seven of them seriously. The blast destroyed a delicatessen in the area, fire spread to neighbouring buildings and several vehicles were charred. The gas pipe had been damaged more than an hour before the explosion, and prosecutors have opened an investigation. (File photo: firefighters battling a building fire. Image: La Nación.)

Pipe damaged more than an hour before the blast

According to the Municipality of Lanús, the explosion happened in the commercial area at the intersection of Coronel Beltrán and Del Valle Iberlucea streets. Exgadet, a contractor hired by the gas company Metrogas to renew the gas network, was working with a tunnelling machine when it damaged a medium-pressure distribution pipe at around 9:44 a.m., causing gas to leak. But the municipal emergency system was only alerted at 10:52 a.m., when the explosion occurred: the contractor had reportedly reported the incident only to Metrogas's internal service.

The blast was powerful. The delicatessen at 98 Coronel Beltrán almost completely collapsed, rubble scattered across the roadway, and the fire spread to neighbouring shops and homes, forcing residents to evacuate. Nearly ten hours later, gas was still leaking and burning; Metrogas had sealed four pipes without fully cutting off the supply, and firefighters could only keep the flame under control with water lines to stop the gas spreading unburned.

One dead, 30 injured; two missing people found

In its latest bulletin, issued at 5:36 p.m., the municipality confirmed that of the 30 injured, seven were in serious condition (six taken to Evita Hospital and one to Narciso López Hospital), 13 remained under observation with no danger to life, and 10 had already been discharged. The body of one person who died has been recovered from the scene, but the victim has not yet been identified.

Two people were initially reported missing, said to be Metrogas workers. The municipality later clarified that both had been found: one was discovered disoriented during the search, and the other report was a false alarm from the family. By the evening, no one remained missing.

Prosecutors investigate; two executives taken in

The case is being handled by prosecutor Yanina Estévez of the decentralised Prosecutor's Office No. 6 of Avellaneda-Lanús. Prosecutors ordered two Metrogas executives who were at the scene to be taken to the prosecutor's office for formal identification; they have not been formally arrested. The National Gas and Electricity Regulatory Entity said it would carry out audits of the incident and make the results available to the courts.

Metrogas said the accident was caused when a machine working in the area hit a pipe in the network, but what ignited the gas is still unknown. Lanús mayor Julián Álvarez publicly pointed the blame at the gas company, noting that more than an hour passed between the pipe being damaged and the explosion, and questioning why the incident was not reported and dealt with sooner. The investigation continues, and criminal responsibility has yet to be established.