Power has been cut to shops in the centre of the Tasmanian city of Devonport this afternoon after a car crashed into a shop, injuring a pedestrian and causing a gas leak.
Police said there was a gas leak in the area and a 100-metre exclusion zone was put in place around the vicinity of the crash on Rooke Street.
One person was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries and several shops in the Devonport mall were closed.
It is believed that the car crashed into the Star Nails nail shop on Rooke Street.
A local woman was in the nail salon and witnessed the crash before leaping to assist the driver, a woman in her 70s.
Debbie, an East Devonport local, told 9news.com.au she was just finishing her nail appointment when she heard a crash that “sounded like a bomb”.
A car had crashed into the windows of the nail salon on Rooke street, spinning and hitting two pedestrians.
The crash had triggered the car’s airbags and Debbie said she could smell a “strong smell of gas”.
Debbie said alongside another bystander, she helped the elderly driver of the car out of the vehicle.
Power to the CBD was switched off as a precaution while the gas leak was brought under control.
It is understood that several traffic lights around the mall and surrounding streets were without power for some time.
RoadsTas later confirmed that traffic signals had been brought back online.
Parts of the Devonport Mall were evacuated after the Gas leak and power outages.
