Leicester: Delivery driver rescued man after flat explosion

Diogo Moreira kicked his way into a flat and rescued an injured man from inside

A delivery driver smashed his way through a door to rescue a seriously injured man after an explosion tore through a flat in Leicester.

Diogo Moreira, 24, was parked outside a block of flats in Kelbrook Close, in Beaumont Leys, when the explosion took place at 16:07 GMT on Wednesday.

He kicked through the front door to allow the man, who appeared to have suffered burn injuries, to escape.

The man remains in hospital where he is being treated for his injuries.

Mr Moreira, from Leicester, said he felt a pressure in his chest and a loud bang when the explosion happened.

The explosion blew out the windows and door of a flat in Beaumont Leys

"When I looked up, all the windows had been blown away and there was glass everywhere," he said.

"I got out the van straight away and went to the front window and I heard the guy screaming.

"I started shouting at him to see if he could respond to me and I kept shouting to him to go to the front door.

"And then my instinct just really told me you have to go in and try and help."

Mr Moreira covered his face and ran to the front door that had already been blown away, but had to kick in another door to get into the flat.

He helped the man outside and sat him down until the emergency services arrived.

A ground-floor flat has been damaged in the blast, a witness says

Another eyewitness said she saw Mr Moreira enter the property, despite people telling him not to.

The Portuguese national said his friends told him he was "either courageous or stupid".

"I just tried to emphasise like, if you do good things and try to help other people when they are in need, it's just much easier and much better," he said.

Police said a man, 32, who was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, has been de-arrested.