Another 30 people are in hospital being treated for minor injuries following the collapse of a building in Bebington

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Two people have been seriously injured and 30 others are in hospital after a building collapsed following a suspected gas explosion in Merseyside.

Emergency services were called to Bebington in Wirral on Saturday night.



North West ambulance service said two people were in a serious condition in hospital, while the rest were being treated for minor injuries.

Merseyside fire and rescue service said the explosion, which caused several buildings to collapse, was a major incident.

One building, a dance studio called Complete Works, was destroyed, with debris scattered along the road.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Debris scattered across the street in Wirral. People were evacuated from nearby houses and face a long wait to return. Photograph: Lew Hopkins/PA

Fifteen people were taken to hospital by paramedics, while a further 15 took themselves to hospital, the ambulance service said. The two seriously injured people are being cared for at Aintree University hospital.

About 20 people were evacuated from houses in the surrounding area and moved to a nearby church, an ambulance service spokeswoman said.



Those evacuated will face a considerable wait before they are allowed to return, a fire service spokesman said.

Dan Stephens of Merseyside fire and rescue service said: “This incident is likely to be protracted; this is likely to last several days. [There is] very significant damage, as you can tell, so it will be some time before people will be allowed back into their houses.”

The incident occurred in Boundary Road in Port Sunlight at about 9.15pm, with emergency services on the scene shortly after 9.20pm. Eight fire engines were sent, while roads were closed nearby.



Alison McGovern, the Labour MP for Wirral South, asked people on Twitter to avoid the scene of the explosion.

Alison McGovern (@Alison_McGovern) Am on scene in New Ferry. A very serious situation. Please stay away if you can, let police and emergency services do their job. Thanks #fb

Phil Wilson (@floorphillaz) Massive explosion on the #wirral pic.twitter.com/TDYOpTQKOj

Bino Shan from a convenience store in nearby Bebington Road said: “I saw one man injured, I think a few people were injured.



“The building is gone, my door is damaged and broken. It’s really scary, it was a big explosion, but I didn’t see any fire. The police said the gas blew up.”

JCS_fan (@Vicky_Aspey) Massive explosion here in Wirral. Hope all ok. Heard everywhere. Scary

In a post on its Facebook page, Complete Works said no one had been inside the dance studio when the blast occurred.

“We are absolutely devastated that our lovely dance studios were impacted by tonight’s events, but first and foremost, we are so very grateful that no one was in them at the time and now we hope there are no serious injuries and everyone local is safe,” it said.