One person died and ” a dozen “ others are missing after an explosion on Saturday December 10, in Jersey. Jersey (Channel Islands) Police Chief Robin Smith explained that a “big explosion” had taken place around 4 a.m., in a residential building in the capital, Saint-Hélier.
A fire was also started but was brought under control by firefighters, police said. According to the ITV channel, the windows of several homes in the area were blown out by the explosion.
“Difficult to assess” the number of missing
Numerous ambulances and fire engines were at the scene Saturday morning. “Emergency services are working on site and have started a search of the site”said the police, asking residents to avoid the area.
“Given the destruction of the building, it is difficult to precisely assess the number” of missing people, admitted the head of the government of Jersey, Kristina Moore, specifying that the clearing of the places could take ” several days “. The building, three stories high, completely collapsed, according to local police.
According to Robin Smith, two injured were taken to hospital and twenty to thirty people were evacuated from the neighborhood and received at the town hall of Saint-Hélier. A emergency number has been set up for the relatives of the disappeared.
The police chief confirmed that fire services had been called on Friday evening before the explosion, after residents reported the smell of gas. He did not comment on the cause of the explosion, stressing that it would be investigated.
