One dead, several missing after huge explosion on island of Jersey
At least one person has been killed and several others are missing following a huge explosion at a block of flats on the island of Jersey, hours after residents reported smelling gas to the fire service.
The explosion ripped through the three-story building in the island's capital St Helier early on Saturday morning just before 0400 GMT and the fire has since been extinguished.
“Tragically we have one confirmed fatality,” Robin Smith, Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police, said in a video statement, without commenting on the cause of the explosion.
The building had completely collapsed, according to Smith, and a search and rescue operation was underway to find and rescue around a dozen other people missing.
“We have a three-storey building that has completely collapsed - described from a demolition point of view as a pancake that has dropped almost straight down,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of more fatalities he said: “There has to be a recognition that we could have more fatalities.”
The Chief Officer also said that 20 to 30 people had been evacuated from the block and two “walking wounded” were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Chief Minister of Jersey Kristina Moore depicted the incident as a “huge shock” and sent her condolences to the families who are affected.
Jersey is a British Crown Dependency with a resident population of around 100,000 people. It is the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel which lies just off France's northern coast.
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