Explosion in Jersey: Three dead, several missing after explosion in apartment block

Eureka News Now —

At least three people have died in an explosion and fire at a residential building on Britain’s Channel Island of Jersey and a dozen are missing, the island’s Prime Minister Kristina Moore said on Saturday.

Police declined to speculate as to the cause, but local residents had reported the smell of gas the night before the blast. The situation has not been classified as a terrorist incident, although authorities are investigating all possibilities.

Local police were alerted to the incident just before 4 a.m. local time, Jersey States Police Chief Officer Robin Smith said, adding that emergency services arrived at the scene and put out the fire.

The three-story building “completely collapsed,” Smith confirmed, describing the situation as a “devastating scene.”

He said a number of homes had been evacuated, adding that between 20 and 30 people had been taken to a nearby town hall to seek shelter.

A search and rescue operation for the missing has begun, Smith added.

Jersey is an island territory off the north west coast of France, owned by the British Crown but not part of the UK itself.