Residents of the São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro woke just before 4am on Monday morning to the sound of a massive explosion. Eight residents were hospitalized, including a nine-year-old child after the suspected gas leak reportedly ignited. The explosion left homeless, and 40 buildings including a pizza shop and a pharmacy either reduced to rubble or severely burnt. .
Video of the aftermath broadcast by a local TV shows the commercial building complex completely leveled. Luckily, most of the shops were closed and empty of customers or staff. Some of the victims were trapped in rubble as rescuers tried to pull them out.
Residents of São Cristóvão have started collecting clothes, appliances, and cash for the dozens of affected, local media report. They’ve leveraged a popular phone application Whatsapp, and are concentrating donations at two local parishes.
“We’re collecting donations and taking them to the São Januário church,” says Denise Santos da Silva, whose own home was damaged in the blast, according to G1 ’s Matheus Rodrigues. “The goal is to help those who really need it, because in addition to those 7 that were taken to the hospital, many more have been affected. We’ve got everything from blankets [to] refrigerators. Everything is welcome.”
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