Police have given an update on Tuesday morning following an explosion that left one man dead and three needing hospital treatment. Emergency services and partner agencies remain at the scene of an explosion which happened at Clydach Road in Morriston at 11.20am on Monday (March 13).
South Wales Police said that two adults and a child were taken to the emergency department at Morriston Hospital. The child and one of the adults were treated and discharged. The second adult was admitted with trauma injuries and is in a stable condition.
Formal identification of the man who died is expected to be carried out later today, police said. An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the incident. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed. Teams of gas engineers have been on the scene since Monday afternoon but the cause is yet to be determined.
Rob Long, chief operating officer for Wales & West Utilities said: “We have been working with the emergency services following an explosion at a property in the Clydach Road area of Swansea yesterday morning (13 March). As the gas emergency service, our role is to make the area safe and support the investigation. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, and we are remaining at the scene to support the emergency services.
"We would like to reassure local residents that every safety precaution is being taken. As part of this, we are joined by other utilities in turning off gas and power to the immediate surrounding properties – however, there will be no impact on gas supplies to the wider area. Our thoughts remain with the family of those affected and with the community of Morriston.”
Police have said that two properties were extensively damaged and other neighbouring properties were also damaged. Last night, the number of households unable to return home due to structural damage, roads being blocked by debris and concerns over the safety of the gas main was reduced from over 200 to less than 30.
Around 21 households who needed emergency accommodation overnight were supported by the local authority. Building checks will be carried out to assess the safety of properties to confirm which homes are safe for people to return to. This is being done as quickly as possible and access to properties will be allowed when it is safe to do so.
Clydach Road and Field Close remain closed, while controlled access to homes in the Cwm Arian area is being facilitated. A police statement said: "The community is thanked for their support and co-operation so far and our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this incident. The local authority continues to offer assistance and provide updates to affected residents from Morriston Memorial Hall."
Meanwhile, nearby Morriston Town Football Club has been collecting donations for those affected by the explosion. One committee member said: “I was here when the explosion happened. I heard the bang, and there were tiles and parts of windowsills all over our pitch. The explosion cut our power off - everything was off until around 4pm when generators were brought in.
“Everyone gathered here last night first of all. There was a group of around 20, including two women in their nineties, and one in a wheelchair and one using a Zimmer frame. It needed two mini buses to move the group to the community centre.
“We boiled a kettle on a Calor gas ring to get teas and coffees to everyone who was here. They were completely shocked by what happened. Everyone is just so upset, it’s devastating. It just does not seem real. Most of the people here are pensioners and they were worrying mainly about their medicines in the house, which the Red Cross has assisted with.
“We put a post on Facebook encouraging people to bring in donations which we are collecting here and the response has been unbelievable. Everybody has been so kind. People have been leaving money and so many donations which were going to be sorting into piles. Dalling’s shop has also been supplying sandwiches and whatever is needed. We’ve also set up a station here with teas and coffees, doughnuts and biscuits for the workers and we’ve been taking teas down to them.”
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