Jersey rescue workers spent the night searching for survivors of a “devastating” explosion Saturday that flattened a low-rise apartment building, killing at least three people.
Security camera footage showed a fireball engulfing the three-storey building in St Helier, the Channel Island’s port capital, leaving several people missing.
The blast occurred around 4 a.m. (04:00 GMT), hours after reports of a gas leak at the Bayside block.
“The area is being lit up and teams will be working all night tonight and we will not stop for a while,” Fire Chief Paul Brown told reporters.
Prime Minister Kristina Moore confirmed at least three fatalities, noting that Jersey was already reeling this week from the sinking of a fishing boat that killed three men.
Local resident Anthony Abbott said the windows of his flat had been smashed in by the blast wave, “and there was fire everywhere outside”.
“It was very disturbing,” he told the BBC. “I’m a little shocked, but we’re lucky we’re okay.”
Jersey’s gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire department to understand what was happening.
The fire was extinguished, but emergency services were doing “considerable work” at the scene and the rescue operation could take days, police said.
– Tragic week –
Jersey Police Chief Robin Smith likened the remains of the apartment building to a “pancake”.
“There is also damage to a nearby building, another apartment building that the fire department has to make safe,” he said.
“It’s a pretty devastating scene, I’m sorry to say.”
Smith said earlier Saturday that “about a dozen” people were missing, “but you will also understand that this number can fluctuate”.
Two others were taken to hospital, but were later allowed to go home.
Specialized equipment was mobilized to find anyone trapped in the rubble, police said, aided by an urban search and rescue team from southern England.
The prime minister offered his condolences and said residents displaced by the blast were finding a place to stay.
“This is going to take several days and we will keep everyone updated and fully informed, and we will do our very best to make sure everyone is well taken care of,” said Moore.
The incident caps off a tragic week for Jersey, a British Crown Territory not part of the United Kingdom whose economy depends on banking, tourism and fishing.
The Coast Guard on Friday suspended a search for three Jersey fishermen who had been missing for nearly 36 hours after their wooden boat hit a cargo ship and sank.
The cargo ship is owned by Condor Ferries, whose Jersey office is near the destroyed apartment building.
“We need to appeal to the collective strength of the island community,” Moore said.
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