Jersey blast toll rises to seven, two residents unaccounted for, police say

The death toll from an explosion at a block of flats on the island of Jersey, off the coast of northern France, has risen to seven, police said on Tuesday.

“I can confirm that at noon today [December 13], two further fatalities have been confirmed at the Haut du Mont site on Pier Road,” said chief of police Robin Smith.

“The number of islanders confirmed to have been killed is now seven.”

Jersey police said the fatalities had not been formally identified and they could not confirm if those found corresponded with the seven names released by the families of those reported missing.

“There are residents who remain unaccounted for. We estimate this number to be two,” police said.

The explosion occurred early on Saturday morning at a block of flats in the island’s capital of St Helier and completely destroyed the three-storey building.

Members of the public in Jersey, a British Crown Dependency with a population of about 100,000, held a minute’s silence islandwide on Monday for the dead and missing.

Reuters