Explosion in Budapest: at least two people were injured

A powerful explosion took place late this Saturday in a shop in the Hungarian capital Budapest, triggering a large-scale operation for the emergency services and the Hungarian police. At least two people were injured in the explosion, which would have been caused by a gas leak, according to "Sunday Express".

The explosion occurred in Oktogon district, in the center of the Hungarian capital, close to midnight and was felt strongly in the surrounding aria and in the streets in the vicinity of the building where it took place. Several restaurants in the area were preventively evacuated. Both of the injured people were policemen and they are in very serious condition, according to Hungarian TV channel M1, quoted by the newspaper "Magyar Hirlap".

Despite the official information that there were only two victims provided by the Hungarian authorities so far, witnesses claim that several people were treated on the street near the hotel Corninthia, while some accounts claim that there was also people that die because of the explosion. Video from the event can be seen how the street riding a column of police cars and in the opposite direction running scared people.

Several people present in the area have tweeted pictured showing that there is a large police deployment in the Hungarian capital on site of the events. The explosion did not cause fires and Hungarian police said the working assumption is that a gas leak was the main cause, but this information has not yet been confirmed. While the cause of the explosion is still under investigation, those living close to its site have departed their apartments, HVG reported.