The scene of an explosion and fire at a block of flats in St Helier, Jersey (Picture: PA)
Five people are now confirmed to have died following a huge explosion which destroyed a block of flats in Jersey, after rescuers said they expect to find more bodies.
Robin Smith, chief of Jersey Police, warned it is likely to take specialist teams ‘weeks’ to complete their ‘meticulous and painstaking’ search through the rubble.
The force estimated that four more people are also likely to be recovered from the wreckage of the three-storey Haut du Mont residential block, which was destroyed in the blast at 4am on Saturday.
Mr Smith said: ‘The number of Islanders confirmed to have been killed in the blast is now five.
‘There are still a number of residents, we are working on the assumption of four, that remain unaccounted for.
‘Their families were made aware of this announcement before other Islanders. They continue to be supported by special officers.’
He told a press conference earlier on Sunday that the search had moved to a ‘recovery stage’, which is likely to take ‘weeks’.
Emergency personnel at the scene (Picture: EPA)
At least five people have died (Picture: EPA)
The rescue mission has moved to a recovery mission (Picture: EPA)
The blast destroyed a block of flats (Picture: Getty)
Mr Smith added it ‘looks likely’ that the blast was a gas explosion, but this has not been confirmed.
Chief Minister Kristina Moore told reporters that the wider community of Jersey has been ‘immensely shocked and saddened’ by the incident and the government had been ‘overwhelmed’ by their ‘offers of support’.
Jersey chief fire officer Paul Brown acknowledged that something had gone ‘horribly wrong’ and his service will be ‘co-operating fully’ and ‘transparently’ with investigations into what caused the blast.
Mr Brown earlier confirmed that firefighters had been called to the building at 8.36pm on Friday and had carried out investigations after residents reported smelling gas – just hours before the blast.
Specialist teams from other parts of the UK, including the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, have been drafted in to aid the response.
Andium Homes, a state-owned but independent company which rents out thousands of properties on the island, said it is focusing on supporting residents at the estate.
Gas supplier Island Energy said it is working with the fire service to ‘understand exactly what has happened’.
What we know so far about the fatal blast
Here is what we know about the explosion in Jersey’s capital St Helier, which has resulted in the deaths of at least five people.
– St Helier
The south coast region is one of the 12 parishes of Jersey, is home to around 36,000 people and accounts for one third of the island’s total population.
Most of the Government of Jersey’s offices are located in St Helier.
– The explosion
The blast took place at around 4am on Saturday, in the three-storey Haut Du Mont residential block owned by Andium Homes.
Chief of Jersey Police Robin Smith said it ‘looks likely’ that the blast was a gas explosion but that currently they ‘do not know’.
– The response
Jersey’s emergency services have been assisted by specialist teams from the UK, including Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Dozens of rescue workers tried to locate people as part of a search and recovery operation.
Cranes are being used to pick through the wreckage and sniffer dogs are scouring the rubble.
On Sunday, police said the rescue mission had become a ‘recovery operation’, with an estimated four further residents feared dead.
– The victims
The five people killed are yet to be named by police, but their families have been told.
– The reaction
Chief Minister Kristina Moore described the incident as a ‘huge shock’ and an ‘unimaginable tragedy’ for the Channel Island.
Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab tweeted: ‘I’m deeply saddened by the incident in Jersey this morning and my thoughts are with everyone affected.
‘I commend the work of the emergency services responding and we stand ready to support in any way we can.’
– The investigation
States of Jersey Police said they would continue to investigate all the circumstances around the cause of the fatal explosion.
The investigation is being co-ordinated by the force, and involves the fire service and gas engineers working at the scene, which remains cordoned off.
Police said these examinations are likely to continue over the next few weeks.
Chief of Jersey Police Robin Smith said on Sunday: ‘The police service is ferociously operationally independent, I am completely independent of anyone in terms of this investigation.
‘We will seek experts who are also independent, as we would do with any investigation where there is particular specialisms, be reassured this will be an independent investigation.’
Asked whether criminal activity was suspected, he said: ‘We rule nothing in and we rule nothing out.’
– The impact on the community
Associate Rector of the Parish Church of St Helier, James Porter, said the incident had had a ‘profound’ impact on the community, particularly because it came days after three fishermen went missing at sea off the west coast of Jersey.
Speaking at the church the day after it held a candlelit vigil for those affected by the blast, Mr Porter said: ‘This has affected the community in a profound way.
‘It’s a very small community in Jersey, and lots of people know lots of people, so there are lots of links.
‘I think following on from the tragedy with the lost fishermen earlier in the week as well, it’s been hard for people to digest.’
Mr Porter added that he was heartened by the outpouring of donations and offers of help in St Helier, and the church would be open for anyone who needed it.
A candelit vigil was held for those affected by the tragedy at the nearby Parish Church of St Helier on Saturday night, and a note had been left on a noticeboard reading ‘give strength to those families who’ve been lost this week’.
Associate Rector James Porter said the incident had had a ‘profound’ impact on the community, particularly because it came days after three fishermen went missing at sea off the west coast of Jersey.
Speaking at the church, Mr Porter, 48, said: ‘The church here is right in the heart of the town and just a few hundred metres down from where the tragedy happened.
‘This has affected the community in a profound way. It’s a very small community in Jersey, and lots of people know lots of people, so there are lots of links.
‘I think following on from the tragedy with the lost fishermen earlier in the week as well, it’s been hard for people to digest.’
L’Ecume II – an 18-metre wooden fishing vessel – sank five miles west of Jersey after colliding with the freight ship Commodore Goodwill at around 5.30am on Thursday.
Searches for the three men on board, including the captain who has been named in reports as Michael ‘Mick’ Michieli, were called off at sunset on Friday.
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It is up from three and comes after rescuers warned they expect to find more bodies.
