Jersey explosion: Police pursue 800 lines of inquiry in flats blast

Police said they would begin to remove officers from the scene from Monday

Investigators still do not have a "complete picture" of how an explosion at flats in Jersey occurred despite more than 800 lines of inquiry, a police chief says.

The three-story building, on Pier Road in Haut du Mont, collapsed on 10 December, killing 10 people and displacing 29 households.

A gas explosion was still the working hypothesis, police said.

However, investigators said the inquiry remained "very complex".

Investigators said they were trying to determine whether there was a criminal case to answer for an individual or corporate entity for gross negligence/manslaughter, or offences under health and safety laws.

Police said 300 statements and 600 exhibits had been put together.

Explosion victims: (left to right) Ken and Jane Ralph, Derek and Sylvia Ellis and Romeu and Louise de Almeida

Officers also said they were continuing to work with a "variety of experts", including fire and explosion specialists, gas experts, archaeologists and structural engineers.

Meanwhile, the Government of Jersey said on Tuesday teams had removed about 300 tonnes of rubble and they were working to recover personal possessions.

Police said the progress to date meant they could begin to scale back the number of search officers at the scene from next week.

'Many more months'

Officers at the scene are due to be replaced by private security guards on Monday and a secure gate also installed.

Senior investigating officer Alison Fossey said the investigation was still expected to take "many more months" but progress "over the last few weeks has been very good".

She said: "Although we're keeping an open mind, our working hypothesis is a gas explosion."

Explosion victims: (left to right) Raymond Brown, Peter Bowler, Kathleen McGinness and Billy Marsden

Chief of Police Robin Smith said the scale of dual investigations into the flat explosion and the sunken fishing trawler, which occurred in the same week, were not normal in Jersey.

"Thanks to this ongoing work over the last few weeks, both senior investigating officers now have a much clearer understanding of what has happened, but they don't yet have a complete picture," he said.

"It is extremely important that teams continue to go through facts and evidence carefully and methodically to ensure that any findings can withstand scrutiny and provide victims, families, friends and the wider community with the answers they deserve."

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