Specialist firefighters from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have been flown out to Jersey to assist with an ongoing major incident, as emergency crews work to find survivors of a gas explosion that has already claimed 3 lives.
Members of the service’s Urban Search and Rescue team were flown from Lee-on-Solent to the Channel Islands by Coastguard Rescue 175 helicopter yesterday (Saturday), flying over the Isle of Wight on their outbound journey.
It was at around 04:00 yesterday that a major explosion ripped apart a block of flats at Haut du Mont on the Island of Jersey, killing at least 3 people – with a further 9 people reported missing.
It’s claimed that residents reported a smell of gas at around 20:30 on Friday night, but Jersey Police have yet to confirm the cause.
It’s said that pockets of fire have been discovered still raging within the wreckage of the collapsed building, making the ongoing efforts to find survivors all the more difficult.
Hampshire’s USAR team will be using their specialist skills and equipment to assist Jersey’s emergency services, alongside the South West Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team.
Equipment was flown out by a RAF Chinook helicopter overnight.
The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service’s Victoria White says the service – like those around the country – remains on standby to provide assistance, should it be required.
This is the 2nd tragedy to hit Jersey in a week with 3 sailors missing, presumed dead, after their fishing boat was struck by the cross-Channel ferry Commodore Goodwill on Thursday morning.
The freight vessel can often be seen passing the Isle of Wight coast on its journey between Portsmouth and the Channel Islands.
