Jersey flats explosion: Ninth person confirmed to have died in blast

Nine people are now confirmed to have died following an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey.

The island’s chief of police confirmed that a person previously unaccounted for had died in the Haut du Mont site blast.

In the statement, Robin Smith said: “We believe there are no more residents that remain unaccounted for.

“The thoughts of all of us at States of Jersey Police are with everyone affected, in particular those who lost loved ones in what has been a tragic incident for our Island and our community.”

The people killed have not yet been formally identified.

Mr Smith added that the search operation would continue until the site is fully cleared.

On Wednesday, police confirmed the number of people killed in the incident had risen from seven to eight.

Prior to that, officials named missing people as Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, Billy Marsden, 63, as well as Ken and Jane Ralph, 72 and 71.

Cause of explosion still not known

Earlier this week, emergency services announced that they were no longer looking for survivors after searching the area since the incident on Saturday.

The cause has still not been confirmed, with Jersey’s chief fire officer Paul Brown previously saying there were “many different potential causes” and it was too early to speculate.

In the hours before the blast, the fire service was called to the building after residents reported smelling gas and a leak was said to be a “likely” cause.

However, the chief executive of Island Energy, which supplies gas to the Channel Islands, said the flats affected were not connected to the gas network.

An independent investigation into the island’s fire service is now taking place.