Police in the UK say four people have died and four others are injured following last night's explosion at a property in Leicester.
Emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at around 7pm, which happened in the Hinckley Road area of the town.
The blast happened at a building which had a shop on ground floor and a two-storey flat above.
Picture by: Aaron Chown/PA Wire/PA Images
Officials said the building had suffered a 'pancake collapse', and police declared a 'major incident'.
This morning, local superintendent Shane O’Neill said: “There are a large number of resources from various agencies at the scene in Hinckley Road and they are expected to be in place throughout the day.
“There are four confirmed fatalities at this stage and a number of people still undergoing treatment in hospital."
@LeicsFireRescue continues with its rescue operations at Hinckley Rd Leicester. Tough conditions for our crews. But they focus on trying to save lives. pic.twitter.com/z5fC7thwey
— matthew cane (@matt0770) February 26, 2018
He added: "We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties."
One of the injured people is said to be in a serious condition.
Police say they are not linking the incident to terrorism at this stage.
