Emergency workers are searching overnight after an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey left three people dead and a dozen missing.
Specialist teams and a search dog are at the scene after the crash in St Helier on Saturday morning.
The Jersey Government says a “modest” multi-agency search effort is being co-ordinated.
Island Police Chief Officer Robin Smith described the scene on Pier Road as “total devastation”.
A video tweeted by the island’s government showed piles of debris and a crushed car behind a police cordon.
Chief Minister Christina Moore called it an “unimaginable tragedy”.
The Jersey Government said the search effort “involved a number of phases, including a brief evacuation of the site to allow dogs in, and careful movement of the wreckage”.
Chief fire officer Paul Brown earlier told a press conference: “The plan is that we will continue to search. The teams will be working through the night and they will not stop.”
He added: “The main challenge is the fact that we have a dangerous structure that has collapsed.
“Anything we do, or do incorrectly, can then jeopardize the survival of someone who can be saved.”
Two people who were previously in the hospital have been released and another person is undergoing treatment.
The explosion occurred at around 04:00 GMT on Saturday.
Police Chief Mr Smith said there were “a number of working hypotheses” as to what had happened but warned people “not to speculate”.
He added: “Thankfully these situations are rare but are nevertheless a cause of deep concern for communities.”
Eyewitnesses have said that the ground shook due to the intensity of the explosion.
Daniel Hunt, 19, from St Helier, tweeted pictures of the fire from his flat.
“Everything shook, my windows were shaking, the whole room shook,” she said. “You could almost feel the shock wave in your bedroom. At that moment you think, what was that?”
The government has relaunched its Covid helpline for those who need help following the incident.
Jersey gas supplier Island Energy said it was working with the fire service to understand what happened.
It was previously confirmed that the fire service attended the scene on Friday night after reports of the smell of gas.
The chief fire officer was asked if Friday’s call had anything to do with the cause of the explosion.
Mr Brown said: “I will give you an answer to that but what I want to do at the moment is focus on the emergency response, talking to my colleagues and looking at things that are under investigation and that Make sure I don’t. Not telling you anything I need to tell someone else first.”
The collapsed three-storey building is owned by Endem Homes, a state-owned but independent company that rents out properties.
He said he was focusing on helping residents in the estate.
