Boy dies in Benwell housing explosion

A seven year-old boy has died and six other people have been hospitalised after a gas explosion destroyed three houses in Newcastle’s Benwell area.

Transcript

00:00A seven-year-old boy has died and six people have been taken to hospital with injuries

00:04following an explosion in the early hours of this morning in the Benwell region of Newcastle.

00:09Eyewitnesses described a very loud bang and a bright flash and some people said that they

00:14thought there had been an explosion. Northumbria Police Superintendent Darren Adams advised

00:18that despite the efforts of the emergency services, the young boy tragically died at

00:23the scene. Northern Gas Networks advised people to keep their doors and windows shut in the

00:27area and did state that their engineers are at the scene. The West End Women and Girls

00:32Centre has said that anybody who's been evacuated is welcome there for some warmth, food and drinks

00:38and the nearby Red Cross Evacuation Centre has been given out items that include mobile phone

00:43charges and food to residents who've been displaced. City Council leader Karen Kilgour

00:48said that housing officers were on site to support residents and that the safety of residents remains

00:53their absolute priority. She's also said that the council will continue to provide assistance

00:58in any way that they can.