Building that exploded in Rio is at risk of collapsing.

247- The building where an explosion occurred this Thursday morning in downtown Rio de Janeiro is at risk of collapse. According to the commander of the State Fire Department, Colonel Sérgio Simões, engineering interventions will be necessary to stabilize the site. He said that part of the structure was compromised after the explosion. “The beams [horizontal structures that support the slabs] were almost completely compromised. Now it's an engineering job. We will have to, initially, eliminate all unstable parts that still pose a risk to firefighters and personnel who will continue working. From there, we will conduct a more thorough analysis to determine what engineering intervention needs to be taken to ensure the building's stability,” the colonel told the UOL portal.

Simões also said that this is a typical disaster scenario. “It’s a very typical scenario of a gas explosion. We can’t determine the amount of gas. The entire ground floor and basement area was compromised.”

In the explosion, three people died and 17 others were injured. The search for more injured people has already been concluded by the rescue team. The restaurant “Filé Carioca” was operating illegally and did not have authorization to use any type of gas.

The president of the National Union of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Distribution Companies (Sindigás), Sérgio Bandeira de Melo, said that it is still too early to assess the situation, but the owners are likely to be primarily responsible for the accident. The Rio de Janeiro Gas Distribution Company (CEG) issued an official statement saying that it has not supplied piped gas to the building where the explosion occurred since 1961, but according to the company, other properties in the area, such as the adjacent hotel, have gas service.