Terrifying moment basketball floodlights explode during game


This is the terrifying moment floodlights exploded mid-way through a basketball game.

Players and spectators ran for cover after the wiring burst into flames during a league match in Manila, Philippines, on April 4.

CCTV shows how a bright flash lit up the outdoor court followed by a mass of sparks falling to the ground.

A second explosion came moments later causing the overhead lights and their metal casing to plunge to the ground.

The blast was so powerful that one of the basketball goals crashed to the ground.

Miraculously, nobody was injured in the explosion which local officials have blamed on faulty wiring in the spotlights.

Spectator Deobert Sas said: "We were just watching the game when it suddenly got dark and sparks were everywhere after a loud sound. We panicked of course. Thank God no one was hurt.”

Following the dramatic scenes, the game was postponed to allow time for the court to be repaired.

A village official who refused to be named said that the explosion is likely to have caused by faulty wirings or illegal electric connections from the surrounding houses, which often tap into electrical supplies from business.

Soler Extension, where the incident happened, is a small village beside the main road composed of about 50 to 100 families only.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, due largely to the American influence on their culture. The Philippines then became a territory of the United States in 1898 after they defeated the Spanish.