Tenth person injured in Jersey flat explosion dies

Cause of the tragedy yet to be established

A woman who was injured earlier this month during an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey died in hospital on Christmas Day, becoming the tenth victim of the tragedy.

The explosion, which took place just after 4am on 10 December, destroyed the building in St Helier, which is understood to comprise six flats.

Kathleen McGinness, aged 73, was taken to hospital after the incident at Pier Road. Police said she had lived in an adjacent building to the one that collapsed.

In a statement on Boxing Day, Jersey Chief of Police Robin Smith said he was “incredibly sad” to announce another fatality.

He said: “Kathleen (Kathy) McGinness (73) who lived at Haut du Mont in an adjacent building to the one which collapsed, passed away in Jersey General Hospital on Christmas Day. She had been admitted to hospital following the incident at Pier Road.

Ms McGinness died in hospital on Christmas Day after being injured in an explosion at a block of flats in St Helier, Jersey (PA)

“Her family are being supported by specially trained police family liaison officers and my thoughts, and the thoughts of all of us at States of Jersey Police, are with them.

“This incident has been incredibly challenging for everyone involved and I would like to praise the families for their stoicism in the face of such tragic circumstances.

“The Island is rightly behind them and on-hand to support, but first and foremost we are there together to give them their privacy and time to grieve.”

The nine other victims were Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond (Raymie) Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, Ken and Jane Ralph, 72 and 71, and 63-year-old Billy Marsden.

Inquests into the deaths are expected to open on 30 December 2022 and be adjourned while a police probe continues.

Jersey Fire & Rescue and Island Energy, which supplies gas to the Channel Islands, are also carrying out their own investigations into the explosion.

Emergency services said on 11 December that they were no longer looking for survivors from the explosion.

The cause of the tragedy has not yet been established, and Jersey’s chief fire officer Paul Brown previously said there were “many different potential causes.”

On the day of the explosion, the fire service alerted to reports of residents smelling gas, and a leak was identified as a “likely” cause.

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

An independent investigation into Jersey Fire & Rescue continues.