Evesham house explosion: suspected gas explosion on Hemmingway - how many people have been taken to hospital?

Police have reported that four people have been injured as a result of a suspected gas explosion at an Evesham residence.

Emergency services were called to the incident on Hemmingway in Evesham, Worcestershire shortly after 5pm on Tuesday (27 December). One man was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, while two other adults were taken to Hereford County Hospital, West Mercia Police said.

A fourth person was being treated by paramedics on Tuesday evening, according to the force. Here is everything you need to know.

What happened?

Just after 5pm on Tuesday (27 December), emergency personnel were summoned to the scene of the incident in Hemmingway in Evesham following a suspected gas explosion at a private property.

Some 10 neighbouring houses were evacuated, and a police cordon was in place while officers responded to the incident. People were asked to stay away from the area and a road closure is in effect at the scene. At the time of writing, those cordens and closures appear to still be in place.

West Mercia Police has not yet confirmed if anybody was in the house at the time of the explosion, but one man was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, while two other adults were taken to Hereford County Hospital.

The ambulance service said the house had suffered "very significant damage,” and dramatic photographs from the scene appeared to show the front facade of the house completely destroyed, revealing an interior covered in rubble.

Commenting on the incident on Twitter, West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner John Paul-Campion said he had been updated in relation to the incident by the force’s chief constable. “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected,” he wrote.

Speaking to the BBC, Nearby resident Sandra Cox recalled hearing a "almighty bang" and feeling her entire house tremble. “We were just sitting in the lounge, playing with the children and having a good time, when all of a sudden... there was an almighty bang,” she said.

“[It] frightened the life out of all of us. It shook the house, it was horrible. There’s been fire engines, ambulances, police cars, you name it.”

The news comes just weeks after a similar explosion at a flat in Jersey. A woman who was injured in that explosion died from her injuries on Christmas Day, taking the death toll to 10.