Exploding toilet burns Australian airman
A parade goer dressed as an angel leaves a portable toilet prior to the start of the 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade on March 5, 2011 in Sydney, Australia.
An Australian air force employee suffered severe burns to his head, face and chest when a portable toilet exploded beneath him as he apparently tried to light a cigarette.
The portable toilet — also known as a porta-potty, or more commonly in Australia, portaloo — erupted in flames at at the Rockhampton airport in the state of Queensland on Monday morning, the ABC reported.
"There was some sort of explosion in a portaloo. It's believed the man was lighting a cigarette at the time," a Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said.
The unidentified airman sustained third-degree burns when the toilet exploded while he was inside, the Defense Force said. He was expected to be flown to the state capital Brisbane for hospital treatment.
The Australian military and state government are "working closely" to investigate the cause of the blast, The Courier-Mail newspaper reported.
"The cause of the explosion is unknown and is being investigated," Brig. Bob Brown said.
The airman was in a serious condition and would be flown to Brisbane later Monday.