Swansea explosion: Body recovered from scene of Morriston house blast

Independent TV has drone footage from the scene of the blast in Morriston:

Some 100 residents living near the site of a suspected gas explosion in Swansea have been evacuated, a local councillor said.

Ceri Evans, who represents the affected suburb of Morriston on Swansea Council, said residents were “in a bit of limbo” as they waited in a rest centre set up by officials.

“Speaking to residents, they are obviously in a bit of limbo because they are shocked, but they are also uncertain about when they can return to their properties.”

He said: “Shock is the word as it is not something that happens anywhere very often.

“I live about a mile from the property and I knew it had happened because I felt it myself.

“I’m just leaving the community centre we’ve set up for residents at the minute.

“Speaking to residents, they are obviously in a bit of limbo because they are shocked, but they are also uncertain about when they can return to their properties.”

Councillor Evans said some of the residents evacuated were vulnerable and were being assisted by the British Red Cross.

One of the people affected in the Swansea explosion has been named locally as Brian Davies.

Police said one person was missing and three people were taken to hospital after the suspected explosion destroyed two houses and damaged several others in the Morriston area.

Andy Williams, who has lived on the street for 25 years, said his house had been badly damaged in the explosion.

“My house is damaged but I don’t really care about that, I’m just glad my neighbours got out,” he said.

Mr Williams said he knew Mr Davies well and that he had lived on the street for around two years.

Becoming emotional, Mr Williams said: “He’s only lived here for a couple of years but I knew him well.

“He’s just a nice guy, a lovely guy, he’s always outside chatting. He’s an angel and I just hope to god he’s alright.”

A huge explosion which rocked homes miles from the site of the blast has left two houses in ruins, with one person missing and three hospitalised (Andy Gregory writes).

A major incident has been declared and the Red Cross deployed to the scene of the suspected gas explosion in Swansea, with a neighbour said to have rescued a teenage boy and his mother from the rubble.

Debris was witnessed exploding into the street and striking the flats opposite on the junction of Clydach Road and Field Close in the Morriston area at 11.20am, with a number of properties said by South Wales Police to have been damaged in the blast.

Emergency services and engineers are working to make the area safe and locate the missing individual, and a police officer who refused to let residents past a newly-established cordon warned: “We’re still not out of the woods with the gas. We’re not safe from another explosion.”

As many as 120 residents in 30 properties have been evacuated, and an emergency centre for residents has been set up in the nearby Morriston Memorial Hall, with many gathering in the Red Lion pub.