Underground blasts in Surfers Paradise caused by electrical fault

Underground blasts in the heart of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast that sparked chaos and shut down part of the tourist hotspot on Sunday afternoon were caused by an electrical fault, Energex has revealed.

The specific nature of the fault was still under investigation on Monday afternoon, but Energex spokesman Danny Donald confirmed an electrical issue in a services pit caused the explosions.

“Something electrically has happened,” Donald said. “Exactly why, that’s what we’re looking at.”

A woman in her 20s suffered lower leg injuries when she fell into the services pit, or manhole, seconds after the first explosion outside a 7-Eleven store on the corner of Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue at about 5pm.

She was pulled from the manhole by bystanders before paramedics arrived to take her to Gold Coast University Hospital.

One online video showed the manhole acting like a trap door during the initial explosion when the women fell in. Another video showed sparks coming from the hole in a second explosion.

Crowds were seen gathered around the scene, as firefighters investigated the blast, before police set up an exclusion zone, blocking off Cavill Avenue, Elkhorn Avenue, The Esplanade, and Surfers Paradise Boulevard.

Laurie Tomlinson said he was working nearby when he heard the first explosion go off and, along with another man, rushed over to help the injured woman.

“As we lay her down, the second one goes off in my ear, everyone scatters,” he told Nine News.

“Eventually, I go back to work and then 30 to 45 minutes later, the second two go off and yeah, that’s when we all evacuated.”

A police officer at the scene of the explosion outside the 7-Eleven store in Surfers Paradise.Credit: Surfers Paradise Community/Facebook

A couple who was having dinner when the explosions happened said they weren’t allowed home for hours.

“We were sitting in a restaurant ... and we heard a small explosion,” Beck and Dave Morrison told Nine News.

“We just ordered dinner and then we heard another really loud explosion.

“Then the police cars and the fire trucks were here and we were told to evacuate immediately.”

Energex crews have isolated part of the electricity network in the area as they continue to investigate what happened.

However, the Electrical Trades Union has warned similar incidents could happen in the future due to poor maintenance.

“Several years ago, following a similar incident at Surfers Paradise, an inspection program was undertaken, which then created a maintenance program,” the union’s assistant state secretary Stuart Traill said. “That program has still not been completed due to a lack of resourcing, so there’s a significant ongoing risk with the pits in south-east Queensland.”

The union has called on the Australian Energy Regulator to approve an “ample budget” for electrical maintenance work across the state next year.

“Sunday’s incident took place in a very busy tourist area. You can only imagine how many people walk along the footpaths every week. They shouldn’t be worried one is going to collapse under them,” Gold Coast ETU organiser Steve Bravo said.

with AAP and Nine News