JEDDAH: Three people were injured, one of them seriously, when a small two-story building located in Al-Jamiah district here collapsed as a result of a gas cylinder explosion around 2 a.m. yesterday.

According to officials, the poorly constructed building collapsed due to the impact of the explosion. The Civil Defense reported that preliminary investigations showed cooking gas had spread throughout the ground floor and eventually ignited.

“Twelve people were inside the building at the time of the incident,” said Jeddah Civil Defense spokesman Capt. Abdullah Al-Amri. “Three people were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. One of the injured is in critical condition. Nine other people in the building were pulled out unharmed,” he added.

The seriously injured woman pulled out of the debris was identified as Sahar Obaid Ajram, a Palestinian national who lived in the neighborhood and was visiting at the time of the incident.

According to medical reports she suffered second-degree burns on 85 percent of her body. The injured were rushed to King Abdul Aziz Hospital.

The two other injured pulled from under the rubble were identified as Chadian nationals Abu Baker Yehea Hassan, 12, who suffered multiple injuries, and Salwa Mohammed Abdullah, 16, who suffered a broken leg.

“I heard a loud explosion around two in the morning and I rushed to the source of the sound,” said 20-year-old neighbor Abdullah Zain. “That's when I saw that the building had collapsed.”

Zain said he heard cries for help coming out of the debris.

“The woman trapped under the rubble was reciting prayers,” he said. “We managed to pull her out. She was in serious pain and in a horrible condition.”

The rest of the tenants appeared to be trapped in one room, he added.

“It took the firefighters just four to five minutes after the first call to reach the site. People here were impressed at their quick response,” said Zain.

Seven rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

“The site will be handed over to the municipality for further investigation as soon as our investigations are complete,” said Capt. Al-Amri.