Woman injured after underground explosion
A young woman has been rushed to hospital after a series of underground explosions ripped open a footpath in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast on Sunday evening.
Emergency services were called to Cavill Avenue about 5.18pm on Sunday following reports of a "pressure blast".
The woman aged in her 20s was walking down the street at the time and fell into a hole left by the blast. She suffered minor leg injuries and was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition.
An exclusion zone - which included Cavill Avenue, Elkhorn Ave, The Esplanade and Surfers Paradise Boulevard - was then put in place and anyone within the area was asked to remain indoors until further notice.
It was later replaced with limited pedestrian access on Cavill and Orchid Avenues.
The preliminary cause of the explosions was an electrical fault according to Sunrise.
“A woman actually fell into a manhole because of the first explosion. Surfers Paradise right behind me was sent into chaos at around yesterday after reports there was multiple explosions,” Sunrise Gold Coast reporter Sam Payne said on Monday.
“Emergency services rushed to the scene, trying to figure out what happened.
“A woman in her 20s, was walking over this manhole, and it essentially swallowed her. She fell in. She was then brought out by members of the public.
“She was taken away and a second explosion then went off. This prompted police to shut the area down, ordering everyone to stay inside, businesses to close. No one to go near the street.
“It turns out it was an electrical fault at the two manholes behind me. That has since been cleared and people have been walking over it this morning.
“Thankfully, the woman in her 20s was not seriously injured. People are walking over it again now. It’s apparently safe now, but would’ve been much more dangerous if more people were standing over it and thankfully no one was seriously injured,” he said.
Image: Seven