All-night search after deadly blast hits Jersey

SAINT HELIER, United Kingdom (AFP) — Rescuers in Jersey were searching through the night for any survivors from a "devastating" explosion Saturday that flattened a low-rise apartment block, killing at least three people.

Security camera footage showed a fireball engulfing the three-story building in the Channel island's port capital St. Helier, leaving several people missing.

The blast struck at around 4 a.m., hours after reports of a gas leak at the bayside block.

"The area is being lit and teams will be working tonight, all night, and we will not stop for the time being," chief fire officer Paul Brown told reporters.

Chief Minister Kristina Moore confirmed at least three fatalities, and noted that Jersey was already reeling from the sinking of a fishing boat this week in which three men were lost.

Nearby resident Anthony Abbott said his flat's windows were smashed inward by the blast wave, "and there was fire everywhere outside."

"It was very, very distressing," he told the BBC. "I'm a little bit shocked, but we are lucky we're OK."

Jersey's gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire service to understand what happened.