Wales explosion: Three people including children injured after blast at Seven Sisters home
THREE people, including two children, have been seriously injured after an explosion at a home in Seven Sisters, Wales.
Wales: Police cordon area following explosion in Seven Sisters
Two children and an adult have been seriously injured after an explosion at a property in Seven Sisters, in Wales. The children have been airlifted to hospital in Bristol with "serious" injuries while the adult has been transferred to a hospital in Swansea.
Dramatic images show the damaged house which has been completely caved in due to the gas explosion.
It is reported 14 nearby properties have also been evacuated.
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: “South Wales Police received numerous reports of an explosion at a property in Church Road, Seven Sisters today at 2.05pm.
“A number of properties and vehicles in the street have been damaged and the area has been evacuated.
“Three people, one adult and two children, have been injured in the incident.
“We remain at scene with emergency service colleagues and ask people to continue to avoid the area at this time.”
A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service are currently in attendance of an incident in Church Road, Seven Sisters.
“The Fire Service received the first call at 2.05pm. The incident is currently ongoing and we ask people to avoid the area at this time.”
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Councillor Rob Jones, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “I was shocked and upset to hear the distressing news from Seven Sisters this afternoon.
"My thoughts and those of my council colleagues are with those who were injured in the explosion, and we hope and pray that they make a full and speedy recovery.
“I know that Seven Sisters is a close-knit community, and that many will be feeling a mixture of shock and sadness at this time.
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their swift response and regular updates on the situation. The council stands ready to offer whatever support is required.”
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An investigation into the cause of the explosion has been launched.
Sarah Burgess, Wales & West Utilities Gas Emergency Service Manager for Neath said: “We were called to reports of an explosion at a property in the Church Road area of Seven Sisters this afternoon (June 24) and immediately sent a team of emergency engineers to the scene.
“On arrival we found that there had been severe structural damage to the property and emergency services were in control of the scene.
“We are working with the emergency services to make the area safe and to investigate the cause of the explosion.”
A neighbour told Wales Online: "I was gonna working in the garden and heard it and thought ‘what’s that’ - the whole house shook.
“It was a huge bang.”
Leighton Williams, a builder working on a property nearby, said: “We were all here working, and we heard it, everything shook.
"About ten of us ran down straight away and the whole house has gone. It was like something from a film.”
Piles of rubble were sprayed across the road and roads are closed due to the incident.
Cars are being turned away from the area, according to local reports, and bus routes have been altered.
First Cymru Buses tweeted: "Due to a Gas explosion In a house in seven sisters our X8 service will have to terminate at Seven and not be able to service Colbren at this time."