Man’s arm amputated after gas bottle explosion

A 72-year-old man is lucky to be alive after a gas bottle explosion in a shed on a far north Queensland property resulted in the amputation of one of his arms.

Emergency services were called to the property at Joan Crescent in Mareeba, about 40 kilometres west of Cairns, about midday on Saturday.

Police said the explosion was believed to have occurred while gas was being transferred from a larger container into the smaller bottle.

Paramedics rushed the victim to Mareeba Hospital in a serious condition but police said doctors managed to stabilise him overnight.