An explosion in central Prague on Monday, probably caused by gas, injured as many as 40 people, officials said, and neighboring buildings – including the National Theatre – had to be evacuated.
The explosion, in a building facing the VltavaRiver just a few dozen meters from the 19th-century theatre, was heard as far away as PragueCastle about a mile away, Reuters reports.
A police spokesman said the blast was probably caused by gas and that there had been about 15 people in the building, which included an office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and an art gallery.
The blast blew out some of the windows in neighboring buildings, including Prague’s landmark Cafe Slavia. The building where blast occurred also includes the Prague FAMU film school and the social sciences faculty of the CharlesUniversity.
A fire department spokeswoman said there were no reports of fatalities.
Several streets around the site were cordoned off by police.
