Explosion: Eighth Death Confirmed

One more fatality has been confirmed from the explosion at Jersey's Haut du Mont flats.

It brings the official number of dead to eight, with one person still missing.

Nine residents missing since Saturday morning's blast have been named by their families.

The formal identification is yet to take place. 

Police Chief Robin Smith has made this statement:

"I can confirm that as at 10:30am today, Wednesday 14th December, one further fatality has been confirmed at the Haut du Mont site on Pier Road.

The number of islanders confirmed to have died in the blast is now eight. We estimate that there is still one resident that is unaccounted for.

As has been our process throughout, the families have been made aware of this announcement before the public and media and are being supported by our specially trained Family Liaison Officers.

The fatalities have not yet been formally identified. The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process must be carefully considered and managed in a dignified and compassionate way.

I am sure Islanders will continue to join me in giving our thoughts to those victims, their families, and friends, in what has been a tragic incident for our Island and our community.

May I ask that the privacy of the families continues to be respected."

Books of condolence have opened at parish halls, and a vigil will take place this evening at the Town Church in St Helier.

Details of how the community is paying its respects can be found here.

More than 20 detectives are working on the police investigation into what caused the Saturday morning's blast.

It is being led by Head of Crime, Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey.

Jersey's Fire Chief has said he is commissioning outside experts to determine what happened.

Gas company Island Energy has said it is doing its own internal probe too.

Andium Homes - which has previously said its tenants weren't mains gas users - says it instructed Island Energy to disconnect the redundant supply to the flats from the mains network in September.

Chief Executive Ian Gallichan says it is for Island Energy to comment on where it got to carrying out that instruction.