Four dead in Leicester shop explosion

Four people have died in an explosion at a shop in Leicester,Uk, police have confirmed.

Leicestershire Police declared a "major incident" after reports of a blast in Hinckley Road at about 19:00 GMT on Sunday.

They said that another four people remained in hospital following the incident in the west of the city on Sunday night, with one victim with serious injuries.

“There are four confirmed fatalities at this stage and a number of people still undergoing treatment in hospital,” said Supt Shane O’Neill. “The building consisted of a shop premises on the ground level and a two-storey flat above it. We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties.”

At this stage the explosion is not being linked to terrorism, he added.

Rescue efforts are still underway as police believe there may be more people unaccounted for

Supt O'Neill said: "It is a dangerous scene so trained officers from the fire service and police took over as soon as possible.

"I can't say at this stage [what may have caused it] but it is a joint investigation between the fire service and the police and the priority is to make the area safe."

Kat Pattison, who lives nearby, said: “There was a huge bang and the whole house shook. If there had been no bang, I would have thought it was an earthquake. I couldn’t believe it.

“It looks like the fire is burning under control but there’s still a lot of smoke. The shop would have still been open so it’s awful. I will be really surprised if anyone has come out of it alive and people could have also been hurt at the bus stop. We checked on our children first and foremost and then we went outside.”

Hinckley Road, from its junction with Bolton Road to its junction with Woodville Road, remains closed in both directions and motorists are advised to avoid the area.