A suspected gas explosion injured a mother and two children and destroyed a three-bedroom house in a Welsh village today.
The roof was blown off the three-bedroom home in Seven Sisters near Neath, and brickwork at the front and back of the house was torn away.
The two children were taken by air ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol while the adult was taken by road ambulance to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
The injured are believed to have been in a neighbouring house at the time of the blast. Police said their injuries were described as serious and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.
Around 14 properties in the area have been evacuated and Neath Port Talbot Council has opened a rest centre for affected residents.
A suspected gas explosion left a terraced cottage in Seven Sisters near Neath destroyed, and South Wales Police are asking people to avoid Church Road due to the ‘serious incident’
A terrace house was completely destroyed and neighbouring properties damaged after a suspected gas explosion in Wales
One neighbour, mother-of-two Karen Leyshon, 59, said it was a ‘miracle’ no-one was killed and the house now ‘looks like something from the Blitz’.
Another, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I was working in the garden and heard it and thought ”What’s that” – the whole house shook. It was a huge bang.’
Kirsten Williams, 24, was in the garden of her mother and father-in-law down the road from the property when they heard the explosion.
She told the PA news agency: ‘The conservatory shook. A massive bang.
‘My mother-in-law suggested a car crash or a lorry. I said no, that’s an explosion.
‘My father-in-law rushed up the drive and saw people running across the road and called us up.
‘I grabbed my 17-month-old son and off we went to see.
‘What shook me the most was a small baby teddy bear was there laying on top of a car roof.’
Neighbour Eileen Pugh, 87, said: ‘It is like something from the movies. There are helicopters overhead and it is just a terrible mess.
‘This is such a quiet village – you just wouldn’t believe it until you saw it with your own eyes.’
Another neighbour David Phillips said: ‘It is carnage. We’ve heard the young boy has got burns but it is very lucky no-one was killed.’
Leighton Williams, a builder working on a property nearby when the incident happened.
One neighbour who did not want to be named said: ‘I was working in the garden and heard it and thought ”What’s that” – the whole house shook. It was a huge bang.’ Pictured: The aftermath of the explosion
Neighbour Eileen Pugh, 87, said: ‘It is like something from the movies. There are helicopters overhead and it is just a terrible mess.’ Pictured: Emergency services at the scene
South Wales Police said emergency services were sent to the scene at 2pm following ‘numerous reports of an explosion’ – and officers are asking people to avoid Church Road following the ‘serious incident’
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service revealed no one was in the house at the time of the explosion
The roof was blown off the three bedroom home and brickwork at the front and back of the house was torn away
He said he heard a loud noise and felt the ground shake.
‘We were all here working, and we heard it, everything shook. About ten of us ran down straight away and the whole house has gone. It was like something from a film,’ he said.
South Wales Police said emergency services were sent to the scene at 2pm following ‘numerous reports of an explosion’ – and officers are asking people to avoid Church Road following the ‘serious incident’.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service revealed no one was in the house at the time of the explosion.
A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service are currently in attendance of an incident in Church Road, Seven Sisters.
‘The Fire Service received the first call at 2.05pm.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service revealed no one was in the house at the time of the explosion
Emergency services are at the scene of a ‘serious incident’ in Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. Police say they received numerous reports of an explosion at a property in Church Road, Seven Sisters at 2.05pm
The road in Severn Sisters, near Neath, South Wales, has been closed after officials launched an investigation
‘The incident is currently ongoing and we ask people to avoid the area at this time.’
A South Wales Police spokesman said: ‘A number of properties and vehicles in the street have been damaged and the area has been evacuated.
‘Three people, one adult and two children, have been injured in the incident.
‘We remain at scene with emergency service colleagues and ask people to continue to avoid the area at this time.’
The Welsh Ambulance Service said five emergency vehicles responded to the scene, while an air ambulance also attended.
A spokesman said: ‘We were called on Wednesday June 24 at approximately 2.05pm to reports of an explosion in a residential area of Seven Sisters near Neath.
‘We responded with five vehicles of the hazardous area response team, one rapid response vehicle, two emergency ambulances and one specialised medical team, and we received the support of the Wales Air Ambulance.
‘Our crews are currently at the scene.’