3 Dead, 4 Injured in Serendra BGC Explosion

3 Dead, 4 Injured in Serendra BGC Explosion

Three people were killed and at least four other people were injured in an explosion at Unit 501 of a residential condominium unit at the Two Serendra building at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig at around 8 p.m. on Friday, March 31, police said.

The fatalities were on board a van that was crushed by large chunks of concrete that fell from an upper floor condo unit and into vehicles below, an initial radio dzMM report said.

Skip dela Cruz, who witnessed and took video footage of the aftermath of the explosion, told ABS-CBNNews.com that a Starex van and an Abenson truck were crushed under the huge block of concrete.

The loud blast triggered panic among mall-goers at nearby Market! Market!.

Windows of several establishments were also damaged by the blast.

An eyewitness told ANC it may have come from the 5th floor. "Habang nanonood ako ng TV may biglang sumabog. Nasa 6th floor ako, Unit 610B," eyewitness Rene Boy Curado said.

"Nakita ko 5th floor, wasak na wasak yung 5th floor, yung unit. Nung sumabog siya pinatay ko yung TV ko tapos lumabas ako ng pintuan, paglabas ko ng pintuan, pumasok yung makapal na usok. Biglaang lumabas yung mga residente dito, yung iba nagsisigawan, yung iba nanghihingi ng tulong kasi yung usok nga, makapal yung usok," Curado added.

Gelo Villar, a staff officer of Senator Alan Cayetano who is husband of city Mayor Lani Cayetano, said the condominium unit where the blast originated was being used by a transient occupant.

Villar said the owner of the unit allowed the yet-to-be-identified occupant to use it from May 31 to June 9.

"Four residents were injured and taken to the St. Luke's Medical Center. Three persons on board a delivery van passing through McKinley Parkway were killed by debris that fell on the van," the Ayala Land developer said.

"The building has been evacuated and the residents are being taken care of and provided with lodging while the incident is being investigated," it added.

"We are fully cooperating with the authorities as they try to determine the cause of the explosion.  A large area in front of Two Serendra has been cordoned off for the safety of residents and bystanders," Ayala Land said. 

— Mar Roxas (@MARoxas) May 31, 2013

Crushed under the weight of a huge chunk of concrete from unit that exploded at Serendra. twitter.com/skipDLC/status…
— Skip dela Cruz (@skipDLC) May 31, 2013

#UGC RT @linjanity: @ancalerts these shops from Market Market (just across Serendra) got shook up by the explosion twitter.com/LINjanity/stat…
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) May 31, 2013

PHOTO via @cocoalcuaz: Body being put in ambulance at Serendra twitter.com/cocoalcuaz/sta…
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) May 31, 2013

 

In 2009, one person was killed after his car caught fire and exploded at the driveway of Fully Booked, Two Serendra.

On January 30 this year, an explosion allegedly caused by a gas leak also rocked the Two Parkade building at Bonifacio Global City.

Source: ABS-CBNNews.com, dzMM and ANC