LONDON, Dec 13 — The death toll from an explosion at an apartment building on the island of Jersey, off the coast of northern France, has risen to seven, police said today.
“I can confirm that as at noon today, Tuesday 13th December, two further fatalities have been confirmed at the Haut du Mont site on Pier Road,” a statement from the chief of police Robin Smith said.
“The number of Islanders confirmed to have been killed in the blast is now seven.”
Jersey police said the fatalities had not yet been formally identified and they could not confirm if those found corresponded with the seven names so far released by the families of those reported as missing.
“There are still residents that remain unaccounted for. We estimate this number to be two,” the police statement said.
The explosion occurred early on Saturday morning at a block of flats in the island’s capital of St Helier and completely destroyed the three-storey building.
Members of the public in Jersey, a British Crown Dependency with a population of around 100,000 people, held a minute’s silence islandwide on Monday for the dead and missing. — Reuters
