Firemen prevent explosion in Romania

07/07/2008

BUCHAREST, Romania/ATHENS, Greece -- Firefighters prevented a powerful liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) explosion on Sunday (July 6th) in the locality of Zam in the western Romanian county of Hunedoara, authorities said. The accident occurred after gas leaked from a cistern carrying 75,000 litres of LPG. A fire brigade team managed to stop the leakage, preventing a major blast, the local emergency services said.

In other news, the police in Athens on Saturday detained a 35-year-old woman suspected of carrying out multiple arson attacks. The suspect faces charges of starting a large forest fire in the Greek capital's suburb of Papagou in August 2007, as well as several other blazes, including the large forest fire in the Hymettos Mountains last month. The police believe that the woman caused the fires in order to clear land for future construction. (Mediafax, Rompres, Radio Romania, Kathimerini, ANA-MPA - 06/07/08)