The Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the Czech Republic has died of wounds sustained in an explosion which rocked his house in the capital Prague.
Jamal al-Jamal was rushed to hospital in a serious condition following the explosion, which apparently occurred as he was opening a safe or container of some kind.
Contrary to initial reports that his family were unharmed despite being in the building at the time, it has been confirmed that al-Jamal’s wife was also hurt in the blast.
A spokeswoman for Prague Emergency Services told CNN that the 57 year-old ambassador has been taken to Prague military hospital with serious injuries, and is in a medically-induced coma. Jirina Ernestova added that his 52 year-old wife has been admitted to Motol Hospital suffering from shock and smoke inhalation.
The BBC cited reports that Jamal al-Jamal suffered injuries “to his limbs”.
According to an unnamed “Palestinian official”, quoted by the Guardian: “He moved an old case with him to the new house [where the explosion took place – ed.] from the old house. And when he opened it, the explosion happened.”
Czech authorities have so far been vague however, with police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova simply confirming that “there was a detonation in the residence of a Palestinian diplomat.
“The diplomat suffered a serious injury and was taken to hospital. We are investigating the causes,” she added.
The area has since been cordoned off, and bomb-disposal teams are at the site in the city’s Suchdol district, according to Czech media. There does not appear to be any damage to the outside of the house, suggesting a relatively small explosion.