Explosion in Oldham - child killed.

[TheRhubarb]

There has been a huge explosion in Shaw, Oldham with one child killed. They are trying to rescue another man trapped and one person remains unaccounted for.

I have family and friends living in Shaw. I hope to God none of them are involved.

Right thanks. Yes I've found more details now. Luckily my brother and his family live about 5 streets away but custy has friends still in Shaw and many of my family's friends live there too.

I just pray that we don't know the family involved, not that it makes it any better. The pictures are horrendous, any child wouldn't have stood a chance and I'm astounded that someone is still alive in there.

What a horrible thing to happen

Poor child

Just heard about it on the local radio news. It's so awful. :(

This is terrible.
Anyone know how / why?

Poor child.
RIP

They think a gas explosion. Some people reported it earlier but then it was too late.

Just seen the news. So sad

Police are treating the death as suspicious

blackout where did you read police are treating the death as suspicious?

All reports I have read are talking of gas explosion.

I work in the area. Many colleagues live in the affected area.

Tragic loss for the family and very distressing for all affected. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

This is a really sad story, I saw footage on the news earlier, the state of the building, it looks like the blitz. Terrible as it already is I am amazed that more people were not hurt.

I have family & friends in the area as well.

I saw this much earlier, just devastating that lives have been lost, serious injuries sustained and the other families have to cope with losing their homes whilst being "lucky" to be ok

It's on the BBC news site,as breaking news,Sayjay.

The child was just two years old.

Thanks withacherry

Even more horrendous if deliberate

So,so sad. :(

Its being reported on sky and bbc now

More information is starting to come out now. The police ARE treating it as suspicious

The LO lost was just 2 years old :(

The pictures are horrific, its unbelievable that no-one else was hurt

What I want to know though, why did it take over half an hour for the gas board to attend?

Oh shit, police are saying that they have had new information and now treating it as a homicide investigation

news.sky.com/story/953138/homicide-probe-over-oldham-blast-death

It looks as though he left on all the gas in an attempt to kill himself.

Charming when you consider he had a child in the house with him.
The 2yo lived next door. He watching TV whilst his mother nipped outside to hang some washing up. She survived.

Whats that?

Just heard that there wasn't a gas leak

Thirty min response time from the gas board I'd have thought was quite good. They're not exactly as well staffed for emergencies as the police are. They'd have sent the nearest crew.

Doesn't matter how fast they got there, it wasn't a gas leak

BBC news is still saying gas explosion. I get it was intentional rather than an accidental leak but maybe they could still have switched the supply off? Or are other news sites saying it wasn't gas at all?

Gas board have up to an hour to get to an uncontrolled escape so 30 minutes is quite reasonable. Just so sad if it was deliberate. The mind boggles at people.

Oh no sorry get what you mean now

It was a gas explosion, but there wasn't a leak