One dead and up to a dozen still missing after explosion at Jersey St Helier flats

One person has died and up to dozen others are still missing after an explosion destroyed a block of flats in Jersey.

Emergency services were called to Haut du Mont flats in St Helier just before 4am amid reports of a major incident.

A search and rescue operation is now underway in an attempt to find people trapped in the rubble, but the scene is reportedly ‘very dangerous’ for first responders.

Debris was strewn across the street while smoke plumes billowed through the air, as two ‘walking wounded’ were rushed to hospital.

Jersey Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker said the blast was so powerful it was picked up on the British Geological Survey’s earthquake monitors. 

States of Jersey Police chief officer Robin Smith said: ‘Following the explosion this morning at Haut du Mont, Pier Road, a number of residents are still missing.’

He noted the search and rescue operation will likely take ‘a number of days’, and said the three-storey building had completely collapsed.

‘From a demolition…