Part of a building has collapsed after an explosion near the Overgate in Dundee.
Emergency services have taped off the scene after the explosion at an electrical substation at the back of the shopping centre on Wednesday morning.
A section of the substation building – which is across the road from the centre’s back entrance – has collapsed with one witness saying there is “debris everywhere”.
Shopping centre bosses say they are not aware of any injuries and there were no workers in the building at the time.
An “urgent” probe is now under way to find out the cause.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing flames and smoke rising from the building just before 11am.
‘Shocked’ students 5 metres from Overgate explosion
Students Olivia Galbraith and her boyfriend Finn Crowley, both 18, were about five metres away when the explosion happened.
Olivia said: “We were on the ramp walking out of the shopping centre when we heard a really loud bang and the next thing the wall collapsed.
“We saw flames and smoke and felt the heat from the explosion.
“It was really quite scary and I think we went into shock a little bit.
“Fortunately, we didn’t see that anyone was directly caught up in it or hurt which was really lucky.
“Two security guards immediately came out of the centre and began to seal the area off.
“At that point, no one really knew what had happened.
“We were heading for a bus so we were able to leave.”
Sam Honeyman, 24, a full-time carer, said: “I was in the Overgate with two friends when we heard a massive thump.
“Initially we thought something heavy had fallen or had been dropped.
“We walked a bit further and when we were leaving the centre we saw this huge crater outside.
“We decided at that point to get away in a hurry because it looked to us like there might be something else.
“We saw a couple of girls covered in dust but they seemed to be OK, they must have been about 20ft from the blast when it happened.
‘Huge amount of damage’ after Dundee substation explosion
“There were two security guards outside and a couple of other people standing around.
“They got the area sealed off really quickly and no one was allowed near it.”
He added: “From what I could see, it looked like some sort of generator might have exploded.
“There was a huge amount of damage.
“Thank goodness the shopping centre and the general area seemed to be pretty quiet at the time.”
One workman who was nearby at the time of the explosion said there was “an almighty bang” followed by a “load of smoke” and the wall collapsing.
Another witness said: “Emergency services have sealed off an area to the rear of the centre.
“At least six police cars and two fire engines are in attendance.
“A building opposite the North Lindsay Street exit has collapsed.
“There is debris everywhere.”
Workers in nearby businesses reported a brief power cut around the time of the explosion.
Fire crews called to Dundee Overgate substation explosion
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We got a call at 10.41am reporting an explosion at a substation at the Overgate centre.
“We have sent two appliances from Blackness Road.
“They remain at the scene.”
Malcolm Angus, centre manager at the Overgate, said: “At approximately 11am today the SSEN substation at the rear of Overgate malfunctioned and caused an explosion.
“Emergency services are on-site, there were no injuries to any members of the public and SSEN are on-site trying to establish the cause of the incident.
“Overgate remains open, with traffic restrictions at the rear of the centre.”
A spokesperson for SSEN said: “We are responding to an incident at a substation adjacent to Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee, where a significant equipment failure has taken place.
“The network was disconnected automatically to make supplies safe, and teams are on-site to support relevant authorities.
“An urgent investigation into the cause is now under way.”
Conversation