Brazil News
RIO DE JANEIRO – A manhole exploded Tuesday afternoon in Copacabana, injuring a passing motorcyclist on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana. The explosion occurred just behind the five-star Copacabana Palace Hotel, near where another manhole exploded earlier this year.
Police closed two lanes of the busy thoroughfare at around 3 p.m. Officials did not release information on the cause of the explosion or information about casualties other than the motorcyclist.
In March a manhole exploded in the same general area spewing flames and disrupting traffic. There were no casualties reported at that time.
In June 2010, two American tourists suffered severe injuries when another manhole on the same avenue exploded, engulfing the couple in flames. A short-circuiting traffic signal, which ignited gas pooled under the street, caused that explosion which launched a 350-kilogram manhole cover several stories into the air and rattled windows throughout the area.
