At least five people were killed in an explosion and collapse of an apartment building in the capital, Jersey, according to British police located in the English Channel.
“However, there are a number of residents, we believe there are four, who we have not yet been able to find,” said Robin Smith, the local chief of police. Police said the explosion occurred on Saturday in Saint Helier, the capital of the British island, “most likely” due to a gas leak.
And rescue teams announced on Sunday afternoon that there was virtually no hope of finding survivors under the rubble. “It is with sadness that I confirm that our search and rescue operations are, from now on, recovery operations” of the bodies of the victims, the local police chief said.
With the help of dogs and experts from southern England, Jersey firefighters spent Saturday night searching through the rubble. He explained that the work to clean up the rubble “will not last days, but weeks.”
Like many other residents, the Prime Minister of this British territory, Christina Moore, said she was awakened during the night by the noise of the explosion.
“We are very devastated and very concerned for those affected and those who have lost their lives,” Moore told the BBC.
Island Energy, the Jersey gas supplier, said it was working with firefighters to find the cause of the explosion.
Police officers questioned several residents on Sunday to understand what happened.
Smith said that some neighbors called the fire department on Friday night, a few hours before the explosion, to let them know there was a strong smell of gas, which “probably” caused the explosion.
“It’s clear that something went wrong considering there was an explosion in a building and it collapsed,” said Paul Brown, the local fire chief.
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