12 injured as suspected gas explosion rocks UK town

Two people have been seriously injured and ten others received other injuries after a blast in the town centre of Shrewsbury, England, UK. One building was completely destroyed in what is suspected as being a gas explosion.

The explosion in the towns Bridge Street, left one woman with severe burns to her head, neck and chest. She was airlifted from the scene and taken to hospital. One man, found partly buried in the rubble, suffered spinal injuries and was taken to Royal Shrewsbury hospital where he underwent surgery. Trapped in a car under rubble from the explosion, five people had a lucky escape when they were rescued by bystanders and arriving emergency crews. Arriving on the scene within two minutes of the blast, West Mercia police officers described the scene as "total devastation". West Mercia Police superintendent Peter Lightwood spoke of his surprise that no-one had been killed. Of the cause of the explosion he said, "The cause of the explosion is unknown." He then added, "We are aware the casualties woke to the smell of gas." The destroyed building is thought to have contained an empty shop unit and also living space. After being thrown from the building in the explosion, the woman airlifted to hospital is believed to be in her twenties and a resident in one of the destroyed flats. Police say she was "blown clear of the building". She is currently being treated at the burns unit in Birmingham's Selly Oak hospital. After the explosion, which occurred at 11.30 am local time, fire crews continued to search the rubble but where confident that no one else was trapped. Speaking of the incident a fire service spokesman said there had been a significant gas leak but it was unclear if that caused the explosion or was caused by it. He added, "If this had been prior to Christmas, when the shops and the streets and the pubs were a lot busier, then it could have been a significantly worse incident." Nearby witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and feeling buildings shake. BBC News reports that one witness who was working nearby, helped to rescue at least one person. Jim Grindley said, "I ran down, the side building was on fire, loads of people [were] getting dragged out. I just ran straight over to the rubble, just saw a hand come out the rubble so I just grabbed them and pulled them out. I got told to move away then. It smelt of gas, it was a horrible sight, horrible sight." Another witness who was driving onto the street was Jane Harrison. She was shaken by the incident but uninjured. She said, "It just felt like somebody had hit me. I've never heard a bang like it. The car went sideways, that's how it felt. The car behind me was hit by a traffic light and her back window was smashed. There was lots of debris all over the road. I saw smoke and flames and there were people there clearing rubble, looking to see if there was anybody in there. That traffic light from the car behind could have gone through the windscreen and that could have been me. I feel very lucky indeed."