Five people died and another was hospitalized after a city gas
leak at the weekend in Shanghai.
The leak was caused by cracks in the water-heating pipes of a
shower inside an apartment in Jinshan District on Saturday
afternoon.
Three men and two women perished. The deceased were identified
by city police as three Shanghai residents and two migrant
workers.
Police said the sole survivor, a woman, is a migrant worker, and
is off the danger list.
The incident occurred in a residential home of about 40 to 50
square meters on Fuchuan Road, which was rented to the six
people.
The tragedy did not unfold until Saturday afternoon, when a
friend of the tenants felt uneasy after failing to hear from them
for the whole day and called authorities.
City police officers, fire officials and the gas company arrived
at the scene immediately after receiving an emergency alarm at 4
PM. They found five corpses. The injured woman was taken to Shihua
Hospital in Jinshan District.
After investigation, the gas was identified as carbon monoxide
that was leaking from the cracked water-heating pipes of the old
shower, police said.
A doctor at the Shihua Hospital said the survivor was receiving
oxygen in the intensive care unit and was lucky to escape.
The accident did not surprise Yang Yu, director of the
neighborhood committee of the residential complex, who put forward
her concerns over safety problems to the upper-level leaders just a
day before the accident.
She said the apartments are 30 years old and showing their age.
Pipe breaks have been frequent but the property management company
has refused to act, Yang said.
In addition, the rental of a divided room also raises safety
concerns. In divided rooms, Yang said, it's common to see tenants
improperly using facilities due to their lack of safety
awareness.
(Shanghai Daily July 2, 2007)?