A gas leak at a restaurant in Sydney, Australia, killed a 25-year-old and injured multiple others. According to a press release from Fire and Rescue NSW, this happened at around 9:20 AM local time on September 16 at a restaurant on Garfield Road in Riverstone.
Videos by Suggest
25-Year-Old Man Dies After Suspected Gas Leak At Restaurant
FRNSW responded to calls of a suspected gas leak at the Haveli restaurant. They learned that two people were unresponsive at the scene. Upon arriving to the restaurant, firefighters found two people pulled from the building.
One of the victims was unresponsive, and unfortunately, NSW Ambulance paramedics could not revive them. “Six people were evacuated from residences above the restaurant, as a precaution,” it said.
“A number of people have been transported to hospital for exposure to an unknown substance at this stage.” FRNSW confirmed that five of them were police officers while the other was someone from the building.
By evening, specialist hazmat response experts were on scene to investigate. “FRNSW Hazmat specialists are also carrying a suite of gas and atmospheric detectors, taking air samples to measure air quality and to determine the cause of the incident.”
Since then, the FRSNW has announced that the area is safe, although they would remain on site to help NSW Police with the investigations.
The Guardian reported that NSW police assistant commissioner, Gavin Wood, described the 25-year-old’s death as a “tragedy.” He said: “We are in the infancy stage [of the investigation] but early indications are he may well have been employed within that restaurant environment.”
How The Tragedy Unfolded
According to Wood, the restaurant’s owner and his son found the man. That’s when they called the police and attempted to administer CPR. After detecting an odour in the air, they moved the man outside.
“The five police officers involved in the initial part of the process, were extremely brave,” said Wood. “They have all been now taken to a hospital where they are treated for some sort of effects as a result of the odour that has been located within the restaurant area.”
FRNSW has yet to determine what caused the gas leak, but they have suspicions. “At this stage, carbon monoxide is a strong line of interest,” said FRSNW superintendent Adam Drewberry.
“We’re also looking for other gases that could be in and around. It’s too early to speculate what else could be in there.”
Restaurant owner Resham Singh spoke with abc.net.au about the devastating tragedy. “This is shocking news for me,” he said.” Singh had only just bought the business in April 2024
“It’s so bad, I’m feeling so sad as well. This is so sad for the family.”