Gas explosion in suburb of Buenos Aires injures at least 20

Twenty people were injured, five of them seriously, when a gas leak caused a major explosion in the Buenos Aires suburb of Remedios de Escalada on Friday.

The explosion occurred at around 11am at the junction of Beltrán and Enrique del Valle Iberlucea, one of the area's busiest intersections, in the municipality of Lanús, south of the capital.

The blast happened during work to renew the gas distribution network commissioned by Metrogas, after a tunnelling machine damaged a medium-pressure pipe, triggering a leak and subsequent explosion.

Flames engulfed homes, commercial premises and vehicles, according to television footage. At least three businesses suffered extensive damage, while firefighters ordered the evacuation of the affected area and several emergency crews worked to bring the fire under control.

Twenty people were injured, five of them seriously. The most seriously injured were transferred to Evita Interzonal Acute Care Hospital, while the others were taken to the Arturo Melo Local Acute Care Hospital and the Dr Luis A Máspero municipal health centre.

"Apparently, they drilled into a medium-pressure pipe, causing the leak and the explosion," said Claudio Arale, director-general of Civil Defence service in Lanús.

In a statement, Metrogas said its personnel had managed to clamp one end of the damaged pipe shortly after 12.15pm and were working to seal the other end to cut off the gas supply completely.

The company said the operation required excavation work at points away from the site of the explosion. Once both ends had been sealed, the leak was reduced and eventually stopped, allowing firefighters to extinguish the flames.

Metrogas said the incident originated when a tunnelling machine damaged the distribution pipe during network renewal work. The explosion occurred while the leak was being repaired, although the precise circumstances remained under investigation.

The blast caused severe structural damage, including to a shop  whose frontage and interior were almost completely destroyed. Several other businesses, homes and vehicles were also affected.

Emergency crews warned of a possible collapse of damaged structures, prompting authorities to cordon off a wide area and close surrounding streets.

One shopkeeper told local television that the fire had destroyed his premises and that several of his employees had been injured.

"Several cars have been burned, as well as shops and the houses above them. It's a disaster. The fire engulfed everything," he said.