Two dead in Swiss underground car park explosion

Firefighters at the scene on Thursday. Keystone/Michael Buholzer

An explosion and fire claimed two lives in Nussbaumen in canton Aargau on Thursday evening. Eleven people were injured, according to the cantonal police. The residents of the tower block were evacuated.

According to the police, the property damage is considerable. Several explosions were reported to police in the underground car park of the tower block shortly before 7pm, they said. A large contingent of police, firefighters and rescue workers were deployed. The fire had already spread to the first floor by the time they arrived.

Efforts to extinguish the blaze were still underway at around 11pm. The tower’s occupants were evacuated by the emergency services. According to the cantonal police, they cannot return to their flats. The authorities are organising emergency accommodation for them.

In addition to ambulances, three rescue helicopters were also deployed to fight the fire. As drones prevented them from flying, the police called for these aircraft to be brought back to the ground as a matter of urgency.

Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/ac

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