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| March 08, 2007 | Thursday | Safar 18, 1428 |
Gas leak forces teams to evacuate hotel
PORT-OF-SPAIN (Trinidad), March 7: World Cup cricket squads from Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and Ireland were evacuated from their hotel on Wednesday morning because of a gas leak, security staff said.
A police spokesman said 14 had been taken from the Hilton, Port-of-Spain, to hospital. No team member from any of the four squads was hurt, a security source added.
With several fire engines and emergency vehicles seen in the vicinity, a witness saw a woman who had her face covered with an oxygen mask carried out of the main hotel building on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
The teams from South Africa, Canada and Ireland boarded buses after being ushered out of the building at 0815 local time (1215 GMT) and were whisked away from the site while the Pakistanis opted to stay in the area.
“I have no idea what happened. I had just woken up when the security man knocked on the door and said 'get out of the room',” Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi told reporters.
“But I went back to sleep. Then he knocked again, and said 'get out of the room'. Then I did and went downstairs.”
Although there was no sign of any flames or smoke in the area, Afridi added: “I heard there was a fire on the eighth floor.”
Addressing the guests at the hotel, the Hilton's safety and security manager Peter Quammie said: “We are experiencing an emergency situation.
“The emergency forces are at the emergency control centre. We are still awaiting the all-clear. We are not totally sure on the status of the emergency.”
Fast bowler Mohammad Sami, who arrived in Trinidad late on Tuesday, looked dazed as he leant against a wall and watched the emergency staff deal with the incident while hotel staff provided breakfast outside the main building.
“I smelt smoke or something burning,” he told reporters.
The Pakistan team had planned a trip to the beach in the afternoon but that trip has now been abandoned.
Coach Bob Woolmer added: “We're going to sit here in the Pakistan team room until we are able to go back to our rooms.”
Each team have been allocated a function room which is based away from the main building of the hotel.
“We heard an alarm, we were asked to leave the hotel and we did,” Cricket South Africa's media liaison officer, Gordon Templeton, said over the phone. “The team have gone to a nearby restaurant for breakfast and we're still there and we will remain there till we get the all clear.”
They were scheduled to have a practice session in the afternoon but that has been put on hold.—Reuters
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