A tenth fatality has been confirmed following an explosion at a Jersey apartment complex in early December.
Jersey police reported that Kathleen ‘Kathy’ McGinness, 73, who resided in a neighboring building and was hurt in the explosion, passed away on Christmas Day in the hospital.
The explosion swept through the three-story Haut du Mont building on Pier Road in the capital of the Channel Islands around 4 a.m. on Saturday, December 10. It is believed that there were six apartments in the building.
Robin Smith, the chief of police of Jersey, stated: “I am in the extremely unfortunate situation of confirming a second fatality associated with Haut du Mont.
Kathleen (Kathy) McGinness, 73, who resided in Haut du Mont in a building adjacent to the one that fell, passed away on Christmas Day at Jersey General Hospital.
She was admitted to the hospital following the incident on Pier Road, and specially trained police family liaison officers are assisting her family.
Officer Smith added: “This incident has been extremely difficult for everyone involved, and I commend the families for their fortitude in the face of such devastating events.
“The island is right behind them and ready to help, but we are there first and foremost to give them solitude and time to grieve.”
A number still missing
An unaccounted-for guy was discovered dead in the rubble earlier in December, making him the ninth casualty.
However, several individuals remain missing.
Officials had previously identified Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, Billy Marsden, 63, and Ken and Jane Ralph, 72 and 71, as missing persons.
On December 11, emergency services stated that they had concluded their search for survivors.
Still unconfirmed, Jersey’s chief fire officer Paul Brown previously stated that there were “many plausible causes” and that it was premature to guess.
In the hours preceding the explosion, the fire department was dispatched to the building after inhabitants complained of smelling gas; a leak was deemed “likely” to be the cause.
However, the chief executive officer of Island Energy, the gas provider for the Channel Islands, stated that the impacted apartments were not linked to the gas network.
Currently, an independent investigation is being conducted into the island’s fire department.
