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| Oldham explosion: Child dies as house 'completely flattened' | Oldham explosion: Child dies as house 'completely flattened' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A child has died in an explosion which "completely flattened" a terraced house in the Shaw area of Oldham. | |
| Five houses were damaged in the blast which is thought to have been caused by a gas leak in Buckley Street, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. | |
| One man was airlifted from the scene to Wythenshawe Hospital with 80% burns. | |
| Fire and rescue teams were called to search through the rubble for casualties but it is now believed everyone has been accounted for. | |
| Greater Manchester Fire Service said more than 30 firefighters were at the scene in the aftermath, with extra teams being drafted in from neighbouring Lancashire Fire Service. | |
| Specialist search and rescue teams, some of whom have worked in Haiti, New Zealand and Japan, used three dogs to help in the operation. | |
| A fire service helicopter with listening equipment was also called to the scene to try to detect if people were trapped in the rubble. | |
| National Grid said there was a report of a "gas escape" at 10:40 BST. | National Grid said there was a report of a "gas escape" at 10:40 BST. |
| The company issued a statement saying: "National Grid can confirm that it received a report of a smell of gas in the Edmund Street and Buckley Street area of Shaw at 10.40am today. | |
| "This was shortly followed by another call to report that there had been an explosion. | |
| "Engineers arrived on site to find that five properties - seven to 13 Buckley Street - had been badly damaged." | |
| One hundred homes have been evacuated and Oldham Council has set up a rest centre at Crompton House School in Rochdale Road for residents removed from their homes. | One hundred homes have been evacuated and Oldham Council has set up a rest centre at Crompton House School in Rochdale Road for residents removed from their homes. |
| Earlier, Supt Neil Evans, of GMP, said: "What I am now able to confirm is that there has been at least one fatality. | Earlier, Supt Neil Evans, of GMP, said: "What I am now able to confirm is that there has been at least one fatality. |
| "That is believed to be a young child from one of the addresses and the next of kin has been informed." | |
| Alex Perkins, who lives across the road, said: "It's like a war zone - tiles that have blown off literally across the streets, there's just debris everywhere. It's mad. | Alex Perkins, who lives across the road, said: "It's like a war zone - tiles that have blown off literally across the streets, there's just debris everywhere. It's mad. |
| "It's just empty, there's nothing there, just bricks on the floor, just rubble." | "It's just empty, there's nothing there, just bricks on the floor, just rubble." |
| Georgian Ulla, who also lives on the street, said her house "shook like it was an earthquake". | Georgian Ulla, who also lives on the street, said her house "shook like it was an earthquake". |
| "All the lights shook - I thought someone was breaking in to begin with," she said. | "All the lights shook - I thought someone was breaking in to begin with," she said. |
| "First thing that I saw was all the toys on the floor. Apparently there are kids that live in the house." | "First thing that I saw was all the toys on the floor. Apparently there are kids that live in the house." |
| Ashfaq Hussein, whose father is the landlord of the house where the explosion took place, said: "We are absolutely shocked." | Ashfaq Hussein, whose father is the landlord of the house where the explosion took place, said: "We are absolutely shocked." |
| He said the man who suffered the serious burns and his partner were due to get married soon. | He said the man who suffered the serious burns and his partner were due to get married soon. |
| Shaw ward councillor Mark Alcock, who lives a quarter of a mile away, described the scene as "utter carnage". | Shaw ward councillor Mark Alcock, who lives a quarter of a mile away, described the scene as "utter carnage". |
| "An end-terrace house has been completely flattened and properties up to 800m away have had their windows blown in," he said. | "An end-terrace house has been completely flattened and properties up to 800m away have had their windows blown in," he said. |
| "It's a real mess." | |
| Peter Travis, who works nearby, said: "I heard the loudest bang you could ever hear, then I could see bits of slate going through the air like ticker tape. | Peter Travis, who works nearby, said: "I heard the loudest bang you could ever hear, then I could see bits of slate going through the air like ticker tape. |
| "Bits of slate were landing near us about 250 metres away. | "Bits of slate were landing near us about 250 metres away. |
| "I could then hear alarms going off and then a silence, it was absolutely frightening." | "I could then hear alarms going off and then a silence, it was absolutely frightening." |
| Craig Needham who runs a nearby garage, said staff ran outside when they heard the explosion. | Craig Needham who runs a nearby garage, said staff ran outside when they heard the explosion. |
| "We could just see a black plume, we thought a bomb had dropped," he said. | "We could just see a black plume, we thought a bomb had dropped," he said. |
| Adam Pollard, 21, was due to move in to a property around the corner from Buckley Street and was gathering belongings at his mother's house nearby when he heard the explosion. | |
| "It was the biggest bang I have ever heard, all the windows shook," he said. | |
| "I could see the smoke and came running up towards my flat. | |
| "I got to the street and the three houses that had been there were just rubble, basically. | |
| "I was worried if someone was trapped. I went running on to the rubble, shouting to see if anyone was injured. I couldn't see anyone and there was no fire, just smoke in the air. | |
| "There was a weird smell, not of gas, like a burning smell." | |
| He added: "I can't believe somebody has even been found alive in there. | |
| "The house must have been completely filled with gas." | |
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