Gas Leak Found in Explosion Rubble

Federal investigators have discovered a big leak in a gas line near the site of a San Juan explosion that killed at least 29 people, officials said. It still was not clear whether that leak caused the blast that ripped apart a six-story commercial building Nov. 21, officials said at a joint news conference of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Puerto Rican government. A coupling in the 1 1/4-inch-wide plastic pipe, which belongs to the San Juan Gas Co., was spewing gas at a rate of two cubic feet a second, Police Chief Pedro Toledo told reporters. “There may or may not be other leaks,” NTSB official Bob Barlett said. He said workers were testing other gas pipes that did not hold pressure, indicating leaks. Officials have said all along that they suspected a gas leak.