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The blast, which happened at 6am, caused damage in Paholyothin sois 45, 47 and 49. It blew off 37 manhole covers and shattered glass in telephone booths and nearby buildings.

Thanit Sompattanapong, 37, who was waiting for a bus to work, sustained a slight leg injury from the explosion.

"I heard a series of explosive noises and saw flames along the sewer line while shattered glass fell from nearby commercial buildings," said Thanit, a company worker.

"I was so shocked and I felt a pain in my leg. My mobile phone also made a loud noise before it burst into flames."

Chatuchak district director Pornlert Phanwattana said the area was sealed for public safety and water was sprayed into the sewer to dilute oil, reportedly discarded into the sewer by an old gas station at the mouth of Soi 49.

An initial investigation found that construction workers tore up the sewer in front of the gas station on Wednesday. It is believed they might have hit an underground tank containing benzene. The benzene could have leaked into the sewer and reacted with something, causing the spark and explosion.

Although the cause of the explosion has not been clearly identified, the city intends to file a lawsuit against the person responsible for the incident because a lot of its properties were damaged, Pornlert added.