Seven people have been confirmed dead following the Jersey flats explosion, with tributes pouring in for the named vicitms, as it emerges that the building was not connected to the island’s gas supply.
Condolences honoring victims of the tragedy have been sent from across the island, as flags are to fly half-mast from Monday until sunset on Friday.
Flowers have been laid close to the site of explosion in St Helier following an island-wide silence at 11am yesterday in remembrance.
Islanders have also been able to sign books of condolence at Parish and Public Halls across the island as they await further news of those missing.
Seven out of the nine people missing in the blast have been identified as Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond ‘Raymie’ Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise de Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, and Billy Marsden, 62.
Derek and Sylvia Ellis
Romeu and Louise de Almeida
Billy Marsden
The families of the remaining two unidentified missing people have requested police do not name their loved ones.
One local, Sarah Pope, commented on Facebook: ‘My thoughts go out the family’s. Peter was a lovely man who helped my daughter when she did karate for that I am totally grateful.
‘Sylvia we new when she worked with my Nan. I am totally grateful too. I just hope all the families get all the answers and recovery to let them rest in peace. It’s just totally heart breaking.’
Another local commented: ‘I knew Romeu and Louise Almeida. They are a lovely couple.
‘Our deepest condolences to the family and friends, our prayers go to all the victims, and their families.’
Floral tributes near the scene of an explosion that destroyed a block of flats on December 12
Floral tributes near the scene of an explosion that destroyed a block of flats on December 12, 2022 in St Helier, Jersey. On December 12 at 1pm, five people have been confirmed dead at the Pier Road explosion scene and specialist teams are continuing to look for four more
A man pays respects at a floral memorial to St Helier explosion victims on Monday
It is feared nine people have been killed in the potential gas explosion that destroyed a block of flats in Jersey’s capital, St Helier, in the early hours of Saturday morning. Seven have been confirmed dead by islands chief of police, Robin Smith.
Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown said crews were called to the three-story block of flats after residents reported smelling gas just hours before the explosion, at 8.36pm on Friday night.
Emergency services, using sniffer dogs, have been desperately sifting through rubble and debris for any survivors of the blast.
Although a gas explosion is thought the be the most probable reason for the blast, police have not ‘ruled out’ a criminal investigation and want to ‘keep all our options open’.
The head of the utility company, Islands Energy Group, has said that the apartment block was not connected to mains gas.
Emergency services were called to Haut du Mont flats (pictured before the incident) in St Helier just before 4am on Saturday
Emergency services were called to Haut du Mont flats in St Helier, the capital of Jersey – the largest of the Channel Islands
This CCTV grab shows the moment the explosion first went off in the early hours of the morning on December 10
A search and rescue operation was launched on Saturday (pictured) in an attempt to find people trapped in the rubble
Chief executive Jo Cox also confirmed that gas engineers had recently worked at the site, and that the mains gas network had not been effected by the explosion, meaning the area was safe.
Mrs Cox said: ‘We want to join everyone in Jersey in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families who have lost families during this tragic time.
‘Islands Energy continues to work with the emergency services during this recovery period. I want to reassure people that we believe this is an isolated incident and not an issue with our gas network.
‘We will work with the emergency services and the various channels to ensure we are providing the data needed to understand exactly what happened during this incident.’
She added: ‘Our engineers are safety-testing the island’s gas network, and this will be completed in the next few days.
‘No issues have been detected in the survey so far.’
When asked if she believed Islands Energy Groups gas infrastructure had a role in the explosion she said: ‘No, I don’t. The buildings were not running on gas. There was a mains network running past it but was not being used for heating. There is no damage to the mains network.
‘We have assessed the area three days in a row and there is no gas detected in the area at all. It’s 100 per cent safe.
‘We need to run through the investigations to understand where the explosion initiated. There is an assumption it may be gas, we don’t know that for a fact.’
Emergency personnel at the scene of an explosion and fire at a block of flats in St Helier, Jersey on December 10
Pictured: Debris strewn across the street at the site of the explosion
Debris is seen strewn across the street as fire crews worked in the rubble to search for the missing people on Saturday night
Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said the wreckage contained ‘pockets of fire’ more than 12 hours after the blast on Saturday
The multi-agency search effort involved a number of stages, including vacating the site for to allow dogs to enter, and the careful movement of debris
She also confirmed that Island Energy Groups engineers were called our alongside the Fire Service on Friday night after they smelled gas.
She said: ‘It is standard procedure that we get called by the Fire and Rescue Service; we attended on site with them.
‘I am looking at all the recordings and exactly what happened at that time. We received recordings into the call centre from Fire and Rescue reporting that it had been reported to us. We always attend; it is standard protocol.’
She added: ‘It is very typical for an explosion of this size that it is gas, but I want to bring us back to the fact that we don’t know that, and I don’t want to set hares running.’
Residents, who lived near the stricken block in St Helier, described how the explosion ‘sounded like an earthquake’.
Jersey Bulls FC gathered to observe a minute of silence at their match against Horley on Saturday.
The club said: ‘Jersey and Horley gather to the observe a minute silence for the terrible tragedies that have occurred in Jersey this week.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those missing at sea and in the explosion this morning.’
Rescue dogs (pictured left) were used to help firefighters (pictured right) hunt for survivors at the Haut du Mont building, near St Helier harbour
Pictured: The site on Sunday. At least five people have died and four are missing following the blast
The scene of an explosion and fire at a block of flats in St Helier, Jersey. Five people have been confirmed dead and four remain unaccounted for
The scene at the site of the explosion in St Helier, Jersey on December 11
The community will be given the opportunity to mourn and pay further tribute at a vigil service, which will be held at the Town Church at 6pm tomorrow.
Jersey’s chief minister, Kristina Moore, said at a press conference: ‘My thoughts and prayers are foremost with the families of those who have died and those who are still waiting for news of their loved ones and those who also have been forced from their homes.
‘I want to offer my sincerest and heartfelt thanks to our emergency service responders.’
The ear-piercing sound was heard across the island with a large plume of smoke seen billowing from the area of Mount Bingham.
Shattered glass was seen scattered across nearby streets as the force of the blast blew out the windows from surrounding buildings.
A crumpled crane could also be seen near the rubble of the smouldering remains of the three-storey building that had completely collapsed.
Glass and debris could also be on the rooves of the nearby buildings in the aftermath of the blast.
Hours after the explosion, police revealed the blast site, in Haut du Mont on Pier Road, was ‘highly unsafe’ with ‘pockets of fire’ still remaining.
Commercial Buildings and Mount Bingham have now been reopened to pedestrian and vehicular access, but Pier Road and South Hill remains closed to both pedestrian and vehicular access.