An explosion at Ülemiste Centre, Estonia’s largest shopping centre, injured one person on Saturday and led to the evacuation of shoppers and staff, the Rescue Board said.
Emergency services received the alert at 6.47pm, after an explosion occurred inside a bin within the centre. A person standing nearby was injured and taken to hospital.
Witnesses told local media that a single, loud explosion was heard. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion occurred on the first floor, outside a Rimi grocery store, and a member of staff at the centre was injured.
According to a witness, the explosion caused brief panic among those present, and people were instructed to evacuate the building.
“My mother had parked in the underground car park,” a person who was at the centre during and after the explosion told the Estonian news outlet Delfi. “She said they were trapped there for half an hour and unable to get out. It was more frightening than being upstairs at the time of the explosion, because they did not know when they would be allowed to leave or what might happen next. She swore she would never park in an underground or enclosed car park again.”
Shoppers and staff were evacuated as a precaution, while rescue crews and bomb disposal specialists were dispatched to the scene. Authorities said evacuated people were sheltered in a heated city bus outside the centre.
The Rescue Board urged the public to avoid the area while emergency operations were ongoing.
Marta Tuul, spokesperson for the Estonian Internal Security Service, told Estonia’s public broadcaster that an investigation had been launched to determine the nature of the incident.
“If it becomes possible to provide further information, this will certainly be done. We ask the public to allow investigators the necessary space to establish the circumstances and to follow safety instructions, keeping a safe distance from the site of the explosion,” Tuul said.
Tallinn’s new mayor, Peeter Raudsepp, said the explosion at Ülemiste Centre had alarmed many residents but emphasised that the authorities responded swiftly and professionally. He said he had been in close contact with the security services, praised the rapid evacuation and care provided to those affected, and noted that the city had supported the response by deploying additional buses for staff.
Opened in 2004, Ülemiste Centre has undergone several expansions and today covers a total area of 125,000 square metres, housing more than 200 shops and restaurants. It is both Tallinn’s and Estonia’s largest retail complex.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
