According to police, an explosion and fire in an apartment building on the Channel Island of Jersey killed one person and left several others missing on Saturday.
During a news conference, Robin Smith, the chief officer of the State of Jersey Police, stated that “around a dozen” residents were missing as a result of the blast in St Helier.
Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is a self-governing British dependency located in the English Channel off the coast of northern France.
According to Smith, a three-story building “completely collapsed,” and a nearby building was also damaged. He called the scene “devastating” and warned that there could be more casualties.
According to Smith, the fire department was called to the area the night before after residents reported smelling gas.
He stated that police would look into “whether there was a safety issue” with natural gas lines.
According to police, “significant work” was being done at the scene by emergency service agencies while the fire was extinguished.
Authorities advised Jersey residents to seek emergency hospital care only in the event of a true medical emergency and to avoid the blast site, which had been cordoned off.
