A man’s body has been recovered from the scene of a suspected gas explosion that tore through a terraced street in a Swansea suburb on Monday morning.
Three people were taken to hospital after the incident which left two houses on Clydach Road in Morriston in ruins and forced the evacuation of as many as 120 residents from 30 properties.
The huge blast shattered windows and stripped tiles from the roofs of neighbouring homes, while people reported feeling shockwaves as far as eight miles away.
South Wales Police said on Monday evening that a search on Clydach Road uncovered a man previously unaccounted for, and his family had been informed.
Emergency responders were at the scene into the late hours after being called at 11.20am while local authorities set up a rest centre for affected residents at Morriston Memorial Hall.
Local councillor Ceri Evans said the residents were “shocked” and felt “in limbo” as they waited to return to their homes, several of which suffered damage in the blast.
Wales & West Utilities, which operates the gas network across Wales and parts of South West England, said it had sent engineers to Morriston to investigate, noting that the cause of the blast was not yet known. Local gas supplies would not be affected, the operator said.
Police launched their own investigation into the causes of the incident and said the Health Safety Executive had been informed.
“A multi-agency command room is coordinating the emergency response to the incident at Swansea Central police station,” the statement added.
Throughout the day neighbours shared their fears for those who had been living in the houses that were destroyed in the blast. Naming Brian Davies as one of the affected residents, Andy Williams, who has lived on the street for 25 years, became emotional.
He said: “He’s only lived here for a couple of years but I knew him well.
“He’s just a nice guy, a lovely guy, he’s always outside chatting. He’s an angel and I just hope to god he’s alright.”
The explosion reverberated deep into the Swansea valley. Ioan Humphreys lives eight miles away in Rhos, Pontardaw, and had just started a Microsoft Teams meeting when he heard the bang.
“The house next door to me is having lots of building work done, so initially I thought it was a massive skip being delivered and dropped on their drive – it felt that close,” the 48-year-old Swansea University research officer said.
Abbie, a 26-year-old who lives half a mile from the scene, said the explosion sounded like a car had crashed into her house.
“I was working when we heard a huge bang, it sounded like a car had crashed into our garage and the impact shook the house,” she told PA.
Police asked the public to avoid the area while they deal with the incident. A spokesperson said: “Clydach Road remains closed and traffic is being diverted.
“A number of homes in the Cwm Arian area are currently only accessible via pedestrian routes near the Lidl supermarket and DFS store due to vehicle access off Clydach Road being blocked and concerns over the gas main which is currently being made safe by contactors on site.
“Once this work is complete, it will be possible to restore controlled vehicle access.”
