On December 10, 2022, an explosion at an apartment building on the British Channel island of Jersey caused the building to collapse, killing three people and leaving a dozen others missing. 

The authorities are currently investigating the circumstances of the explosion. As of right now, the incident has not been designated as a terrorist attack.

Although police have refused to give an assumption on the cause of the explosion, residents of the building claim that they smelled gas the night before the blast occurred. It was also reported that the fire service had been at the scene on Friday night because of this issue. 

In response to this, Island Energy, Jersey’s gas supplier, has announced that they are working with the fire services to determine if there was any issue with the natural gas lines. 

Search and rescue teams have been employed to find the missing people and many of the island residents have come together to support and pray for those affected by the explosion.

"I commend the work of the emergency services responding and we stand ready to support in any way we can," said Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.

By Alexandria Kim