Connect with us

Published

on

Seven people who are missing and feared to have died in an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey have been named by police.

Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, and Billy Marsden, 63, have been missing since Saturday.

As well as the seven who have been named, another two people are still thought to be missing.

Police said on Sunday that the emergency services were no longer looking for survivors, and that the search for bodies “will take weeks, not days” and will be “meticulous and painstaking”.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but questions have been asked about a possible gas leak after it emerged that firefighters were called to the block on Friday night when residents smelled gas.

A friend of Mr Brown described him as “a lovely man”.

Terry Le Main told Sky News: “I’ve known Ray for many, many years. He was a quiet, unassuming, lovely man”.

He added: “The whole community is absolutely shattered… It’s a small community where we know everybody.

“To think that these decent, good people have suffered, it’s a tragedy.”

Mr Le Main said he also knew Derek and Sylvia Ellis and had gone to their wedding.

“They were a lovely, lovely couple. Just ordinary, good, hard-working people. It’s tragic, I’m really distraught today.”

Police were called to reports of an explosion at around 4am on Saturday
Image:
Police were called to reports of an explosion at around 4am on Saturday
Pic: Government of Jersey

Read more:
Questions asked over firefighters’ ‘gas leak’ visit
Jersey explosion site is ‘scene of utter devastation’

Firefighters, specialist rescue teams and dogs have been searching through the wreckage of the residential block.

Police have described the scene on Pier Road as one of “utter devastation”.

Around 40 people are being housed in alternative accommodation after the blast.

The authorities have said they are in contact with the families of those who are confirmed to have died, but the victims are yet to be named.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Moment of explosion

Gas network tested

Jersey’s fire chief Paul Brown acknowledged something had gone “horribly wrong” and said his service will be “cooperating fully” with investigations into the cause of the blast.

He confirmed firefighters were called to the building at around 8.30pm on Friday night and had carried out investigations after residents reported smelling gas.

The explosion happened around seven and a half hours later.

An urgent safety check of Jersey’s gas network is also being carried out.

Island Energy, which supplies gas to the Channel Islands, said engineers will continue the tests over the next few days.

Jo Cox, its chief executive, said the company would carry out its own investigation alongside the official inquiries.

“Our engineers are safety-testing the island’s gas network, and this will be completed in the next few days,” she said.

“No issues have been detected in the survey so far.”

The explosion was the second tragedy in Jersey in recent days, after a skipper and two crew members were killed when their fishing boat collided with a freight vessel.

Continue Reading

UK

Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Published

on

By

Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

Continue Reading

UK

Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Published

on

By

Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

More on Donald Trump

JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

Continue Reading

UK

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Published

on

By

Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

Continue Reading

Trending