Suspected gas leak causes explosion at New York church, 5 in critical condition

ISTANBUL

An explosion at a church in Boonville, a village in Oneida County in upstate New York, after a reported gas leak left five people in critical but stable condition on Tuesday, according to local media and emergency services.

"Pray for the Abundant Life Church on SR 12 in Boonville for an explosion in the building with multiple injuries," Grace Church Utica, New York, said on Facebook.

Rescue personnel were dispatched after the blast at approximately 10:45 am local time (1545 GMT), according to the Daily Sentinel, a newspaper serving the Utica-Rome metropolitan area.

The explosion was preceded by a report of a gas odor at 10.23 am, with the Boonville Fire Department responding alongside other emergency personnel.

The explosion occurred when a member of the Boonville Fire Department had entered the structure during the response, according to New York State Police.

A church member wrote on the church's Facebook page that the pastor and another congregant had called a propane company to address "an obvious gas leak" shortly before the explosion.

"The two of them and a few other responders were in the building at the time of the explosion," she wrote, adding that they sustained burns requiring medical treatment.

All five injured - identified as the Boonville fire chief, the pastor of the church, and three members of the Boonville Fire Department - were transported to nearby hospitals.

The building was "nearly fully engulfed in flames and smoke" about 15 minutes after the blast, according to the post of the church member.

The church sustained "catastrophic damage," police said, adding that there is no indication of criminal activity at this time.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately determined and remains under investigation.