Gas Main Explodes, Levels Miss. Clinic

Blast Destroys Doctor's Offices, Damages Beauty Shop; 9 Hurt, No Serious Injuries

(CBS/AP)  A massive natural gas explosion leveled a clinic, injuring nine people and shattering windows at a nearby hospital, authorities and witnesses said.

The clinic, which contained four doctors' offices, was gutted by the explosion and subsequent fire Saturday.

"Gas leaked into the sewer line and that's how it got in the building," Mayor Rayburn Waddell said.

Witnesses reported feeling the blast in Union, nearly 15 miles south.

Businesses more than 800 feet away reported windows being blown out and roof damage. Authorities said 35 windows were shattered at the county hospital and nursing home.

The 9 people that were hurt in the explosion have all have been treated and released from Neshoba County Hospital, reports CBS Affiliate WJTV.

A beauty shop in the same complex as the clinic suffered major damage, said Jeff Mayo, Neshoba County Emergency Management Director. A dozen people were inside during the explosion, which caused the ceiling to collapse, said Alice Pinkston, a hairstylist at Deva Reflections Hair Salon. She and the others escaped through a back door.

Sistrunk said the cause of the blast was being investigated. There had apparently been construction nearby.