No survivors in Jersey blast

Saint Helier, Jersey: Rescuers in Jersey on Sunday abandoned hope of finding survivors from an explosion that flattened a three-storey apartment block, with more than a dozen people feared dead.

At least three people were confirmed killed in the blast early Saturday in the Channel island´s port capital St Helier, following a suspected gas leak. “We have three confirmed fatalities and it´s fair to say we expect to find more,” police chief Robin Smith told a news conference, saying that around 12 residents remained unaccounted for.

“It is with sadness that I am confirming that the search-and-rescue operation has been moved to a recovery operation,” he said. The next phase will involve a “meticulous and painstaking search of the debris” which could take weeks, Smith said.

A gas leak was the “likely” cause, he added. “But as you often hear the police service say, we keep all our options open.” Aided by sniffer dogs and urban rescue experts from southern England, Jersey emergency workers had picked through the rubble overnight.

Fire chief Paul Brown confirmed that firefighters were called out to investigate the smell of gas on Friday evening, more than seven hours before the explosion. He conceded that something had gone “horribly wrong” given the subsequent disaster, but insisted Jersey islanders could still have confidence in his service.