A gas leak under a nearby footpath may have caused the explosion which seriously injured a father and his three children in Rathfarnham, Dublin, yesterday. His wife escaped uninjured.
An investigation has been launched into the explosion.
The father, whose condition was described as critical, was in the intensive care unit of Tallaght Hospital last night. Two of the children were being treated in Temple Street Hospital and the other in Crumlin Children's Hospital. They were said to be in a stable condition.
The children, two girls and a boy, range in age from three to eight years. Their injuries include severe burns and broken bones.
The explosion occurred at 20 Glendoher Close just before 11 a.m.
The roof was blown off the three-bedroom house and the force of the blast blew the windows and doors across the street.Some neighbouring houses were evacuated for a time.
Shocked neighbours later remarked that anybody passing the house at the time of the explosion would have had little chance of survival.
In a statement, An Bord Gáis said that a fitter was surveying a neighbouring house when the explosion occurred, following a reported smell of natural gas in the area. The fitter immediately alerted the emergency services.
"Early indications are that a gas leak occurred as a result of a fractured distribution mains under a nearby footpath," the statement added. "The gas is believed to have migrated underground via other utility service channels into number 20.
"The cause of the fracture is not known at this point and will be the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Garda, the Health and Safety Authority and relevant authorities."
The statement said that having made the area safe, An Bord Gáis priority was to repair damage to the mains and to continue monitoring and surveying the area. The investigation into the incident was ongoing, it added. One hour after yesterday's explosion, there was still a strong smell of gas in the area. Gardaí cordoned off the area, as neighbours remained at the scene.
A neighbour, Ms Amanda Kelly, telephoned An Bord Gáis yesterday morning after smelling gas. "My little boy and myself both got a strong smell of gas. I rang An Bord Gáis and a representative came out. We were in a laneway near the house when there was a big explosion next door," she said.
