Jersey flats explosion: Final two missing named as death toll rises to seven

Seven people have now been confirmed dead, up from five, with two people still missing

The final two people missing after an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey have been named as the death toll rises to seven.

The blast occurred early on Saturday morning and destroyed the three-storey Haut du Mont building in the Jersey capital of St Helier.

Seven people have now been confirmed dead, up from five, with two people still missing. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Seven of those involved were named on Monday as Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond (Raymie) Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, and 63-year-old Billy Marsden.

The names of the final pair missing, Ken and Jane Ralph, aged 72 and 71 respectively, were released by their families on Tuesday afternoon as the recovery operation continued.

Jersey Police chief Robin Smith said: “The families are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers.

“The fatalities have not yet been formally identified. The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process must be carefully considered and managed in a dignified and compassionate way.

The scene of an explosion and fire at a block of flats in St Helier (PA Wire)

“Therefore, we are not yet able to confirm if the fatalities that have been found at the site correspond to the seven identities released by the missing Islanders families yesterday afternoon.”

The Viscount’s Office confirmed that inquests into the deaths will only be opened once the DVI process has been completed.

At a press conference earlier on Tuesday, Jersey Fire and Rescue chief Paul Brown said the investigation into the explosion will be “long and complex” and that the fire service will hire independent experts to help identify the cause of the blast.

Mr Smith said on Sunday that the “likely” cause was a gas leak. But Jo Cox, chief officer at Island Energy, said the flats affected were not connected to the gas network.

Clockwise, from top left: Raymond Brown, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, Billy Marsden, Peter Bowler, and Derek and Sylvia Ellis (Jersey Police/PA)

Andium Homes, which operates the 36 residences at Haut du Mont, confirmed that no gas is used at the site and it had not received any reports of gas leaks or smell prior to the incident.

Jersey’s energy supplier announced yesterday it is carrying out safety testing of the entire island’s gas supply.

According to the Jersey Evening Post, a statement on Monday afternoon from Ms Cox said: “Island Energy continues to work alongside the emergency services as they continue their recovery operation.

“The company will conduct its own investigation into what happened, as well as helping the various official inquiries.

“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.”

It comes after the cordon around the Haut du Mont was reduced yesterday, allowing some evacuated residents to return home.

Additional reporting by PA