Swansea gas explosion: Boy, 14, lucky to be alive, dad says

The dad of a 14-year-old boy who was pulled from the rubble after a suspected gas explosion at a Swansea house has said he is lucky to be alive.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the blast at about 11:20 GMT on Monday morning in Morriston.

One man was killed and three were injured after the explosion which damaged several properties.

Police said an investigation had been launched and the Health and Safety Executive had been informed.

The body of the man who died was found during a search of the scene, South Wales Police said.

Anthony Bennett's son Ethan was the child pulled from the rubble, along with his mother Claire, who remains in hospital with six broken ribs.

He said: "[Ethan] just remembers the explosion going and him being thrown up against the ceiling.

"Then next thing he knew he was coming round, he seemed to be outside or in the open air.

"But apparently part of the roof was under him and half was on top of him and the guy who lived a couple of doors down, he ran across to check on Claire and then he ran up and dragged Ethan out and he carried Ethan off the roof to get him out.

"They are so lucky to come out of it."

Ethan and his mother were two of three people taken to hospital after the explosion, with a second adult - a postman - since being discharged.

Mr Bennett said Ethan had "been so strong" but was "very shaken up".

He added he was pleased to be reunited with his beloved cat, Fern.

"The lady on bus who called me, she said how well he handled it. She said 'you've got a really strong boy there, he was just worried about his mum and his cats'," he said.

Deputy leader of Swansea Council Andrea Lewis said people living in 21 households were in temporary accommodation overnight.

The council said it hoped to get people home as soon as possible, but said some would be in temporary accommodation for quite some time.

"Some of those properties are too badly damaged," Ms Lewis told BBC Radio Wales.

South Wales Police said building checks were being carried out to assess which homes were safe for people to return to.

Rob Long, chief operating officer for Wales & West Utilities, said on Tuesday the cause of the explosion was not yet known.

"We would like to reassure local residents that every safety precaution is being taken. As part of this, we are joined by other utilities in turning off gas and power to the immediate surrounding properties - however, there will be no impact on gas supplies to the wider area," he said.

Speaking at the site on Tuesday morning, local councillor Ceri Evans said the thoughts and prayers of the community were with the family of the man who died.

"I am sure there will be a full and robust investigation and the council will support it but the community will want answers," he said.

Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East, said the adult released from hospital was a postman who had been sitting in his van at the time of the incident.

"He was sitting in the van when it happened. He'd run out of the van, quite naturally, when the explosion went off and unfortunately he got caught by some debris."

Ms Harris said the local sorting office manager told her the man had burns and cuts to his face.

"He's home safe with his family and very relieved," she added.

Residents who gathered at a temporary welfare centre described roof tiles raining down into gardens and pipes crashing through shed roofs.

Ms Harris said the incident was "traumatic" for those involved.

"They were scared for each other. Some thought it was a plane crash, others thought a bomb had gone off," she said.

Many were also very anxious about the damage and safety of their homes and concerned about the cost of repairs, Ms Harris said.

"The community came together and we have to make sure we support these families to get their lives back together after this devastating tragedy," she added.

Hayley Brown, who lives a few doors down, said: "It was like an aeroplane had exploded above us and debris was falling down".

The community has rallied around to help those affected, with Morriston Town Football Club open for hot drinks and taking donations of clothes.

Club Secretary Sophie Stockwell, said: "We've had around 30 people come back and forth. And we have plenty of toiletries if people need that or want to have a shower here."

Jamie Fitzgerald, who ran a food donation scheme at Christmas as well, said: "We're a close community. Since the food share scheme we ran stopped, I felt we needed to do something.

"My friend was in the thick of it and I saw the devastation there yesterday. Babies with no shoes on their feet. We had to help."

Caz John added: "We needed to pull together a community and do whatever we can.

"People [are] devastated. It was just awful. The whole community is shocked and we were all shaken by the bang. It's scary."