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Gas leak forces teams to evacuate

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- World Cup cricket squads from South Africa, Pakistan, Canada and Ireland were evacuated from their Trinidad hotel after leaking gas caused a blast early Wednesday.

Three staffers at the Hilton Hotel reportedly were taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital with undisclosed injuries. None of the players or team officials were injured, hotel staff said.

"Shortly after the blast, which occurred on the eighth floor of the hotel at about 8 a.m, all guests were evacuated," Cricket South Africa media liaison officer Gordon Templeton said in a statement.

"It is unclear as to what caused the blast but the entire team is safe and calm has returned to the hotel."

Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi was oblivious to the blast until hotel staff knocked on his door.

"I have no idea what happened. I had just woken up when the security man knocked on the door and said 'get out of the room,"' he said.

"I went back to sleep. Then he knocked again, and said 'get out of the room.' After that, I realized something was serious. Then I did and went downstairs."

Guests were allowed to return to their rooms around 4 1/2 hours after the evacuation.

All teams except for Pakistan decided to leave the vicinity of the hotel while police and fire crews investigated.

The Pakistan team's media manager, Pervez Jamil Mir, said some of the players were having breakfast in the dining room and others were still asleep when the alarm went off.

"We were just told to vacate the premises ... because of some sort of gas leak," he said.

Pakistan had no scheduled practice Wednesday, he said, but the evacuation was a disruption to the players in their buildup to the World Cup.

Canada and Ireland play in a warmup match Thursday at Trinidad, with South Africa playing Pakistan on Friday.

The March 13-April 28 World Cup features 16 teams in venues scattered around nine countries of the Caribbean.

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