One dead, 46 injured in Romania gas station explosion

One person died and 46 were injured after two explosions rocked a liquified petroleum gas station close to Romania's capital Bucharest on Saturday, officials said.

The injured included 26 firefighters who rushed to the scene in Crevedia commune, north of the capital, following the first explosion, according to the government. One person was killed.

Of those injured, at least eight people suffered severe burns, according to hospital representatives.

Around 25 fire engines were at the scene to try and bring the blaze under control, while people within a 700-metre (770 yards) radius were evacuated, Romania's emergency situations inspectorate said.

"The area needs to be assessed. The area is still dangerous... There is a risk of another explosion at another tanker," Raed Arafat, head of Romania's emergency department, told Digi24 television.

A crisis cell was triggered at the ministry of internal affairs, attended by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Romanian firemen work on the scene of a fire during an intervention in Crevedia village, Romania, on Sunday. AFP

"I'm profoundly saddened that the explosions in Crevedia resulted in victims," President Klaus Iohannis wrote on Facebook, describing it as a "tragedy".

"An investigation must quickly be launched to see if rules were broken. I ask the authorities to take urgent measures for the injured so that these tragedies won't happen again," he added.

Anger has flared repeatedly in the EU member state over a lack of official oversight over safety measures.

In 2015 a blaze ripped through a Bucharest nightclub after fireworks were let off, killing 64 people.

Agence France-Presse