Newark gas explosion: Second body recovered from destroyed house

The body of a woman was found this morning after the explosion at a house in Wright Street, Newark, yesterday evening

A screenshot from an amateur video

A second body has been found in the rubble of a terraced house which was destroyed by a suspected gas blast.

The body of a woman was found this morning after the explosion at a house in Wright Street, Newark, yesterday evening.

Nottinghamshire Police said ongoing searches in the rubble of the property in Newark had "revealed" the body of a woman, which will be recovered later today.

A man's body had already been recovered by emergency services at the house in the early hours.

Two children, a man and a woman were also treated in hospital for injuries resulting from the blast.

Around 100 people living in the area had to be evacuated from their homes and spent the night in the nearby Grove Leisure Centre.

Authorities had said yesterday that a sixth person remained unaccounted for. Police used specialist search teams with to dogs to uncover the remains.

Local resident Dan Walker, who lives around 100 yards from the house, told Sky News that children could be heard screaming in the moments after the blast.

Mr Walker said: "I was in the back garden just doing some gardening and there was an almighty bang, and the floor shook.

"It sounded like a bomb had gone off down the road.

"All you could hear was kids screamig so I ran out to the front garden to see what was going on.

"I went down the street and I could see the house - it was in peices."

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said appliances from Tuxford, Newark, Southwell and Collingham had attended the incident.

Local witnesses said the house was occupied by a couple and a small child - police have so far not named any of the victims.

Eye witness Isla MacDonald, who lives in Wright Street, told how she and her partner saw a man in the remains of the building.

She told BBC Radio Nottingham: "There was all this smoke. It was like something off the telly.

"A man was crawling through the debris bleeding - the whole of the house had come down.

"Two lads came and we got him out, and carried him up the path away from the all the smoke. His legs were hurting, so we laid him down.

"It was horrendous, it was just terrifying.

"The whole building has all come down."

Police also confirmed today that a "controlled demolition" was set to be carried out as the property was not considered safe.

A police spokesman added: "Two children and a woman were taken to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre for treatment to smoke inhalation and have since been discharged.

"A man also sustained serious injuries and smoke inhalation and remains in hospital."