At least two people died following an explosion that hit a beauty salon and a mobile phone store in London this Wednesday, confirmed official source of the London Fire Department. There may be more fatalities.
The alert was given this morning, shortly after 6:30 am. The establishments in question are located on the ground floor of an apartment building on King Street, Southall district, Ealing district. Part of the building has collapsed. Authorities are asking to avoid the area where the accident occurred.
Rescue and rescue teams have already managed to remove four adults and a child from the rubble, but they fear that more people will be buried. Another 14 adults and two children managed to escape alone. One person had to be transported to hospital with serious injuries.
Paul Morgan, a commander who is coordinating rescue workers at the scene, confirmed that there could be fatalities: “Unfortunately, we believe there are fatalities on the property, although we cannot confirm the numbers at this time ”.
The commander explained that “the explosion caused substantial damage to the establishment and caused structural damage everywhere ”. “It is an arduous and time-consuming incident, with firefighters systematically working to stabilize the building and look for the people involved,” described Paul Morgan.
Searches involve use of “specialized equipment” and search and rescue dogs. There are 40 firefighters and six fire engines on site. The Metropolitan Police say it is not investigating the case as terrorism and that, at the origin of the accident, there must be a gas explosion.
–
