Rescuers spent the night searching for survivors after a massive explosion at homes in Saint Helier, the capital of the British Channel Islands of Jersey, flattened a low-rise apartment block and killed at least three people. Hours before the explosion, someone reported a gas leak.
Surveillance footage showed fireballs engulfing the three-storey apartment block in St Helier, the capital of the Channel Isles of Jersey, leaving several people missing, AFP reported.
The explosion occurred around 4:00 am (local time), hours after a gas leak was reported in the Bay neighborhood.
Prime Minister Kristina Moore confirmed at least three deaths.
Nearby resident Abbott (Anthony Abbott) told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that the windows of his flat were shattered by the force of the blast and that “there were fires everywhere outside”.
Island Energy, the supplier of gas to Jersey, said it was working with firefighters to clarify the situation. Police said the fire has been extinguished, but emergency services are carrying out “essential work” at the scene and the search and rescue operation could take several days.
Jersey Police Chief Robin Smith said the flat had become like a “pancake” after the blast: “A nearby building was also damaged and firefighters need to secure the flat in the other district”.
Smith said earlier that “about a dozen people” were missing and two more were taken to hospital and released.
Police said special machines were deployed with the help of the southern England Metropolitan Search and Rescue Team to search the rubble for people.
