• The explosion took place at flats in St Helier on Saturday morning.
• It is believed that the block of flats had nine known residents before the blast.
• No-one has been found during the ongoing search and rescue effort.

Three persons were killed in an explosion at a Jersey apartment building, and no one was found throughout the search.

Emergency service administrators stated that the current phase of the search and rescue effort is recuperation.

“We have been searching and we will not stop searching for people’s loved ones,” Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown told a press conference.

Before the bomb on Saturday morning in St. Helier, it is believed that the block had nine known residents.

At the Pier Road area, three dead have been discovered, and search efforts for six more are still ongoing by specialized teams.

As information about the guests is still a mystery, it is assumed that there may be up to a dozen.

It has been established that the fire department had arrived at the flats just after 21:30 GMT on Friday after the gas smell had been reported.

On Saturday at at 4:00 GMT, the explosion took place.

At the scene, searches have been conducted by specialized teams and a search dog.

Chief of Jersey Police Robin Smith described how there had been a “meticulous and painstaking search of the debris following the explosion, to start carefully identifying bodies when and if we find them”.

He told the press conference: “That will take time. We are not going to be here for days we are likely to be here for weeks.”

Mr. Smith said it was “difficult to be precise” on the total number of fatalities.

“The one area I can be precise on is we have three confirmed fatalities and it’s fair to say we expect to find more,” he said.

“Previously we have said in the region of a dozen but it’s difficult to make that assessment. That’s the number we hope we do not get to but that is the number we are working to.”

Mr. Smith said “around 40” people had been displaced because of the blast and the damage it had caused to nearby buildings.

None of the emergency leaders were able to identify the cause, although Mr. Smith was questioned about whether a gas explosion might have been to blame.

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