Calgary home explosion: victim update

The explosion that happened on Monday in a home left 10 people injured. Only one of them has been released from hospital. The rest remain in hospital with three in critical condition.

Community advocates claim a gas leak may have been noticed before a blast rocked a house in northeast Calgary.

“If you see the explosion, you wouldn’t believe anybody would come out alive,” said Aleer Deng — community advocate.

“The cause of the explosion was mainly a gas leak. It was already detected by the tenant and they raised concern to the landlord, and it wasn’t addressed quick enough.”

While the incident is still under investigation, all of the victims are believed to be members of Calgary’s South Sudanese Community.

Gar Gar, a South Sudanese Community advocate says one man suffered broken bones in his back, shoulder and ribs along with third-degree burns.

Despite the severity of the explosion, Gar claims all ten victims are expected to survive.

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“Hearing that today… that everybody is most likely to make it…we are still praying for the three that are still sedated in critical condition to come to the status where they can talk,” Gar said.

In response to the incident, the group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the victims once they’re released from hospital.

The funds will eventually be used in finding the victims a place to stay, while also providing them with the basic necessities.

“They don’t have clothing, they don’t have phones, they don’t have shoes. Everybody just ran out from the fire,” said – Deng Deng Tiordit — chairman of Twic Community Association of Canada.

Tiordit added that one of the victims could spend as long as six months in the hospital, claiming the others could be released in a matter of weeks.