Five people were killed when an explosion destroyed a shop in Leicester, police have said.

Another five people are in hospital, one with serious injuries.

Six fire engines were sent to the Polish shop with two flats above it after members of the public reported a large blast in Hinckley Road at around 7pm on Sunday.

During the night search and rescue teams found four bodies in the collapsed building and another body was found on Monday afternoon.

Teams are continuing to carry out a rescue operation and believe more people may be trapped in the building, which was still on fire on Monday morning.


Rescue work was temporarily suspended due to the structural integrity of a neighbouring building, with the search and rescue work due to resume later on Monday afternoon.

CCTV captures moment of explosion

Deploying to the explosion in Leicestershire last night @TechRescueWMFS USAR teams are still working hard to search the wreckage and make the area safe. @WestMidsFire pic.twitter.com/5JrbeCElgM — Shammi Rana (@Shammirana1Rana) February 26, 2018

Leicestershire Police Superintendent Shane O'Neill said: "We know the explosion and subsequent fire will have caused considerable concern to residents and business owners in the area and we would like to thank people for their support and patience while teams continue with their work at the scene.

"There now five confirmed fatalities and a number of people still undergoing treatment in hospital.

Aerial shot of Leicester explosion aftermath

"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.

"Although the cause of the explosion is not yet known, there is no evidence that this is linked to terrorism."

Witnesses begin searching blast rubble

He asked anybody concerned about where their family members or friends are to get in contact with Leicestershire Police.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Matt Cane added: "There's a possibility that people are trapped within any of the voids. But obviously as time goes on, that becomes less likely.

"We are slowly and methodically trying to make the area safe and get into the areas where we could potentially find further casualties."

CCTV showed the moment the blast happened, with debris from the building being blasted across the road to the opposite pavement.

A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were on their way to the scene on Sunday night when police told them a building had collapsed.

Four dead as building collapses

Image: Emergency services clear debris from the scene in Leicester

She said the two-storey building with a loft conversion - thought to be a Polish grocery shop with flats above it - suffered a "pancake collapse".

Additional specialist search and rescue teams were sent to the scene in Hinckley Road, including two search and rescue dogs.

Police officers said nearby businesses and homes were quickly evacuated and occupants taken to a police station for their safety.

Leicester City Council provided a temporary rest centre at St Anne's Church near the scene.

Fire after reported explosion

Image: Emergency workers continue their rescue and search operation

Resident Kat Pattinson told Sky News: "We were just in the house... about 500m from where the blast has taken place.

"There was a bang and the whole house shook.

"The emergency services were in attendance, there was a lot of smoke, just an awful lot of smoke.

"It was just one event, so hopefully, whatever happened, it is in the process of being contained now... the building doesn't appear to be there anymore."

She described the building as "a shop with flats on top of it".

Image: Six people have been taken to hospital. Pic: Graeme Hudson

Another local, Harrish Patni, said the "big boom" was felt six doors down while he was at a nearby pizza shop prompting him to call 999.

He told Sky News: "We heard this massive explosion, the shop window six doors away vibrated and we thought it can't be a car accident, it didn't sound like a crash.

"We came outside and there was a big cloud of smoke, bricks all across the road."

Another eyewitness, Tahir Khan, said the incident was "like a Hollywood movie".

My thoughts are with the families of the four people who died and those injured in yesterday's explosion in Leicester. Thank you to the emergency services who are still on the scene and hospital staff who are working to save lives. — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 26, 2018

At the scene, Sky News Correspondent Tom Parmenter said the damage to the main building had been "very very significant".

He said the shop had been "effectively demolished by the force of the explosion".

Local journalist Laura Scigliano told Sky News: "I spoke to one lady who heard a massive bang. One man said he thought it sounded like a bomb. It looks like extensive damage... the building just looks like it has completely collapsed."

Image: Six people were initially taken to hospital

She described the road as one of the main routes into the city that was "usually very busy during the day".

Leicestershire Police said: "The cause of the explosion will be the subject of a joint investigation by the police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

"Electricity supply has been cut off for a number of properties in the Hinckley Road area while emergency services deal with the incident."

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer, Andrew Brodie, hailed the "tremendous effort" of emergency crews to deal with the incident through the "bitterly cold night".

Carlisle Street and part of Hinckley Road remain closed.