Wolverhampton house explosion woman thanks rescuers

Wendy Ayoub was trapped in the rubble for about two hours

A woman whose washing machine saved her from falling rubble when an explosion destroyed her home has thanked her rescuers.

Wendy Ayoub, 73, was trapped for about two hours at the house in Penn Road, Wolverhampton, on Monday and suffered minor injuries.

On Tuesday she said she was "comfortable and recovering well" at the city's New Cross Hospital.

She gave "sincere thanks" to emergency services and hospital workers.

The scene of the explosion has been sealed off

Investigations were taking place on Tuesday to try to establish the cause of the explosion

The woman was "extraordinarily lucky" to sustain only minor injuries, the ambulance service said on Monday

More on this story and others across Birmingham and the Black Country.

The blast, believed to have been caused by a gas leak, propelled debris into the street, which was shut between Lonsdale Road and Claremont Road for emergency services to work at the scene.

Investigations were taking place on Tuesday to establish the exact cause of the explosion.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesperson previously said the woman appeared "to have been saved by her washing machine holding back additional rubble and timbers".