At least three people have died in the wake of a “devastating” explosion at three-storey tower block in Jersey

Police said the site, Haut du Mont on Pier Road in St Helier’s capital, was “highly unsafe,” with “pockets of fire” discovered hours after the “very, very significant” explosion early Saturday morning.  

At around 4 a.m. on Saturday, police were called to reports of an explosion. A “devastating” explosion at a three-story tower block in Jersey killed at least three people. A South West Ambulance Hazardous Area Response Team are on site and will be joined by an Urban Search and Rescue Team from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service At a press conference following the explosion in the early hours of Saturday morning, Chief Minister Kristina Moore confirmed the latest total.

Around a dozen” people were reported missing following the explosion at Haut du Mont on Pier Road in St Helier, the Channel Island capital. After the “very, very significant explosion,” police described the scene as one of “utter devastation,” telling journalists that the building had “completely collapsed” and “doesn’t even look like a building.” At 4 a.m., the States of Jersey Police were called to the scene, where one person was pronounced dead and two others, who were described as “walking wounded,” were taken to hospital for treatment. The explosion-caused fire was initially thought to be extinguished, with emergency services “carrying out significant work” at the scene. However, police said on Saturday afternoon that “pockets of fire” had been discovered, and that the site was still “highly unsafe.”   Residents reported smelling gas and called the fire department around 8.30 p.m. the night before. Ms Moore called the incident a “tragic accident.” “As we all know, at 4 a.m. this morning, our island experienced an unimaginable tragedy that took the lives of at least three islanders,” she said. “The last 12 hours have shown me the resilience, skill, and dedication of our emergency services and our entire community.” Ms Moore expressed her condolences and prayers to those whose loved ones had died, those awaiting news, and anyone forced to flee their homes. She also expressed her “sincere gratitude” to the emergency crews who worked tirelessly all night. ‘This won’t be finished today.’ The scene was described as “complete devastation” by Robin Smith, chief officer of the States of Jersey Police. He said “significant progress” had been made due to a “coordinated effort” to deal with the tragedy, and that the search for missing people would continue all night. He did, however, warn that the incident was “protracted” and would most likely last “days, if not weeks.” “It’s critical that we have the resilience to keep going,” he said at the press conference, adding, “This isn’t going to end today.” Specially trained officers have been deployed to Jersey town hall to assist those affected by the incident, which will last “way beyond” the search and rescue phase, according to Mr Smith. The work was described as “slow and methodical” by Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown, who added that the only plan at this point was to continue searching for people.