A 7-year-old boy was reportedly killed and six others injured early Wednesday when a violent explosion ripped through a block of semi-detached houses in Newcastle, England, leaving a gaping hole where at least two homes once stood.
“They lost everything,” whispered Andy Riches, head of security at Newcastle United, who knows a couple with two children who lived in one of the homes, according to “The Independent”.
It was around 12:45 a.m. on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday that the emergency services were called to go to a block of six terraced houses in Newcastle, where a large explosion had just been heard, according to the British media.
In images of this “truly devastating” explosion shared on social networks, we can see that at least two homes were completely razed by the detonation, leaving behind only a pile of debris.
According to Lynsey McVay, assistant chief fire officer at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, all six properties were “severely affected, with two bearing the brunt of the explosion”, according to ‘The Independent’.
A 7-year-old boy was reported dead on site, while six other people with varying degrees of injuries were rushed to a hospital.
“The loss and pain his loved ones must endure is unimaginable. This is an incredibly tragic incident,” Superintendent Darren Adams of Northumbria Police said at a press conference at midday on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, first responders were still working through the rubble to make sure no one was missing.
Many local organizations have also pitched in to support families on the street and distribute donations.
“People left with nothing, just their pajamas, and grabbed their pets and their kids and that was it. In the days to come, they will need support, love and care,” Father Chris Minchin, of the Benwell and Scotswood Team parish, who was helping at a local community center, told The Independent.
An investigation has been opened to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this major fatal explosion, but at present, it is still too early to comment on its exact cause.
“Our priority was to establish the number of victims involved […] “The investigations are in their early stages and in the hours and days to come we will continue to piece together what happened so we can provide answers to the family,” the superintendent continued.
