This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/shropshire/8438396.stm
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Eleven hurt in town centre blast | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Eleven people were injured, two of them seriously, when a building collapsed in an explosion in Shrewsbury town centre. | |
| Police were called to the scene on Bridge Street at about 1125 GMT. | Police were called to the scene on Bridge Street at about 1125 GMT. |
| Ambulances and an air ambulance attended the scene - thought to contain an empty shop and some flats - and streets were cordoned off. | |
| One woman was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham with burns to her head, neck and chest. A man in his 20s had spinal injuries. | One woman was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham with burns to her head, neck and chest. A man in his 20s had spinal injuries. |
| West Mercia Police said the building was demolished, and an ambulance service spokesman said the top section of a block of flats had collapsed. | West Mercia Police said the building was demolished, and an ambulance service spokesman said the top section of a block of flats had collapsed. |
| Police said it was not clear what had caused the explosion. | Police said it was not clear what had caused the explosion. |
| 'Huge explosion' | 'Huge explosion' |
| The explosion happened at a block of flats on the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road, near Welsh Bridge. | |
| Christopher Hobbs, who lives about a quarter of a mile from the site, said he saw two casualties. | |
| He said: "We were in the house watching TV this morning. We heard this huge explosion. It sounded like the chimney had fallen off our house or something. It felt like the whole building shook. | He said: "We were in the house watching TV this morning. We heard this huge explosion. It sounded like the chimney had fallen off our house or something. It felt like the whole building shook. |
| "The building that used to stand on the corner is nothing but a pile of rubble. There was smoke billowing from the area. They brought two casualties through - one on a wheelchair and one on a stretcher." | "The building that used to stand on the corner is nothing but a pile of rubble. There was smoke billowing from the area. They brought two casualties through - one on a wheelchair and one on a stretcher." |
| The incident happened on Sunday morning | |
| Adam Jones, from the Theatre Severn across the river from the explosion site, said they were about to open up when the incident happened. | |
| He said: "I was up on the second floor standing by the window and I heard and felt what sounded like a big explosion. | |
| "My first impression of it was that it could have been in our building, and we looked out the window and saw all this smoke on the other side of the river." | |
| BBC reporter Tom Warren, who has been at the scene of the explosion, said there was rubble on the street and fire crews were on site. | |
| He said: "I heard a loud bang while shopping in the town centre and came down to see what it was. | He said: "I heard a loud bang while shopping in the town centre and came down to see what it was. |
| "It looked like there'd been an explosion, because there was rubble strewn outside. I saw lots of ambulances and the air ambulance arrived." | "It looked like there'd been an explosion, because there was rubble strewn outside. I saw lots of ambulances and the air ambulance arrived." |
| Smail Bachene, manager of the Source Vodka Bar, said he was in bed when he heard the explosion | |
| "It was a big blast, the noise was unbelievable. | |
| "I think there was a flat over the shop but I don't know how many people lived there." |