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Thornton Heath fatal explosion: SGN face

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Neighbours of a young girl who was killed in an explosion say they want answers from their gas supplier.

Three other people were taken to hospital after the blast at a house in Thornton Heath, south London.

Residents say they reported a strong smell of gas two weeks ago and recently saw engineers working in the area.

Their MP, Siobhain McDonagh, said Southern Gas Networks (SGN) had "very serious questions to answer". It says it is trying to find out what happened.

The Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden added: "There is a lot of anger around SGN and delays in resolving the gas leak."About 100 people have been evacuated from their homes since Monday morning's explosion, which happened days after workers were seen digging holes nearby.

Police confirmed the body of a girl, believed to be aged four, was recovered from a house in Galpin's Road.

Merton Council said the blast was caused by gas, describing it as a "major incident", while London Fire Brigade (LFB) is investigating the cause. 

SGN said its "deepest sympathies are with the family of the child who has tragically died as well as those who have been injured".

spokeswoman added: "We'd like to reassure everyone that our engineers are working closely with the emergency services to establish the cause of the explosion."

She added that SGN would continue to have a presence in the area in the coming days and weeks and that given the ongoing police investigation, it was unable to comment any further at this stage.

Girl killed as suspected gas blast destroys house

One neighbour described cutting his arm after being knocked out of bed by a "massive boom" on Monday at about 07:10 BST.

Neil Novis told the BBC one of those rescued was "really badly burnt" and "in a bad way".

He said: "I just can't emphasise enough how badly I feel for the family and how well the emergency services have done."

Residents were briefed on the situation by Merton Council officers, the Metropolitan Police and LFB at the nearby New Horizon Centre on Monday evening.

Some grew agitated and raised their voices as they were told they would not be able to return to their homes and that workers had been unable to turn off the gas.

The Reverend Deji Ayorinde, of the nearby Pollards Hill Baptist Church, said there was "anger in the room". 

"There is anger in the community surrounding unanswered questions," he added.


Mr Ayorinde said there was also anger that no representatives of gas companies were at the briefing to answer questions.

He added: "This thing was reported and it still wasn't resolved days or weeks later.

"Who takes ownership for that? The anger has built up because it has now cost a life and that's a catalyst for the strength of emotion around this."


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Neighbours of a young girl who was killed in an explosion say they want answers from their gas supplier.

Three other people were taken to hospital after the blast at a house in Thornton Heath, south London.

Residents say they reported a strong smell of gas two weeks ago and recently saw engineers working in the area.

Their MP, Siobhain McDonagh, said Southern Gas Networks (SGN) had "very serious questions to answer". It says it is trying to find out what happened.

The Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden added: "There is a lot of anger around SGN and delays in resolving the gas leak."About 100 people have been evacuated from their homes since Monday morning's explosion, which happened days after workers were seen digging holes nearby.

Police confirmed the body of a girl, believed to be aged four, was recovered from a house in Galpin's Road.

Merton Council said the blast was caused by gas, describing it as a "major incident", while London Fire Brigade (LFB) is investigating the cause. 

SGN said its "deepest sympathies are with the family of the child who has tragically died as well as those who have been injured".

spokeswoman added: "We'd like to reassure everyone that our engineers are working closely with the emergency services to establish the cause of the explosion."

She added that SGN would continue to have a presence in the area in the coming days and weeks and that given the ongoing police investigation, it was unable to comment any further at this stage.

Girl killed as suspected gas blast destroys house

One neighbour described cutting his arm after being knocked out of bed by a "massive boom" on Monday at about 07:10 BST.

Neil Novis told the BBC one of those rescued was "really badly burnt" and "in a bad way".

He said: "I just can't emphasise enough how badly I feel for the family and how well the emergency services have done."

Residents were briefed on the situation by Merton Council officers, the Metropolitan Police and LFB at the nearby New Horizon Centre on Monday evening.

Some grew agitated and raised their voices as they were told they would not be able to return to their homes and that workers had been unable to turn off the gas.

The Reverend Deji Ayorinde, of the nearby Pollards Hill Baptist Church, said there was "anger in the room". 

"There is anger in the community surrounding unanswered questions," he added.


Mr Ayorinde said there was also anger that no representatives of gas companies were at the briefing to answer questions.

He added: "This thing was reported and it still wasn't resolved days or weeks later.

"Who takes ownership for that? The anger has built up because it has now cost a life and that's a catalyst for the strength of emotion around this."


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