Blast victim 'lucky to be alive'

A woman rescued from rubble after an explosion at an Aberdeenshire hotel has said she was "lucky to be alive".

Barmaid Danielle Ormond, 26, was badly injured after the blast at the Drumtochty Arms in Auchenblae, which also injured two men.

Her injuries after last Wednesday's explosion included broken ribs.

Speaking from her bed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Ms Ormond said: "The fact that I can walk around now is an absolute miracle."

She said she had gone to the hotel's cellar after a customer complained his beer was too warm.

On her way to the cellar, she said a workman in the adjoining kitchen asked if she could smell gas. She said she did, but that it was "not overpowering".

'Risked lives'

Ms Ormond explained: "I don't remember the blast, I just remember feeling a huge force for a split second.

"I remember hearing my name being shouted and I remember shouting 'help me'. I could feel the pressure all about me."

Ms Ormond, who lives in Auchenblae, said that a man and a woman from the village spent about 20 minutes removing the rubble around her.

She said: "I know I'm lucky to be alive, but I don't know if I would have been so lucky if it was not for those people.

"They risked their own lives to save me, and that has meant a lot.

"The hotel was a big part of me, and it feels like a big part of myself has been lost."

Hotel owner Charlie Anderson said: "We're extremely relieved there are no fatalities, which, considering the devastation the gas explosion has caused, it's astonishing."

He added: "I am gutted that all the time and effort that went into refurbishing the building, which was the heart of the community, has been destroyed.

"Going forward, no decisions can be made until the investigation by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and other interested parties are complete, and the dust has settled."

The blast left the hotel, which had recently been refurbished, having to be demolished.

Inquiries into the cause are continuing.

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