Twelve injured as block of flats devastated in 'gas explosion'

TWELVE people were hurt, two seriously, when a suspected gas blast destroyed a block of flats in a busy town centre.

One woman was airlifted to hospital with burns to her head, neck and chest, and a man suffered spinal injuries in the explosion in Shrewsbury yesterday morning. Five people were trapped in a car under rubble but they were pulled free by bystanders and emergency crews.

Supt Peter Lightwood, from West Mercia Police, said it was a surprise no-one had been killed.

He said officers were on site within two minutes and the scene was one of "total devastation".

"The cause of the explosion is unknown," he said, adding: "We are aware the casualties woke to the smell of gas."

A woman in her early 20s who was a resident of the upstairs flat had been "blown clear of the building". She was airlifted to the burns unit at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

The man with spinal injuries was found partially trapped in the rubble and was undergoing surgery at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital last night.

Five people who had been trapped in the crushed car were said to be "very lucky" and were also taken to hospital. Fire crews are still searching through the rubble.

The explosion happened just before 11:30am yesterday. Jim Grindley, who was working nearby, said: "I ran down, the side building was on fire, loads of people were getting dragged out.

"I just ran straight over to the rubble, just saw a hand come out the rubble so I just grabbed them and pulled them out. I got told to move away then. It smelt of gas, it was a horrible sight."