CNN
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One person died Saturday and several are missing after an explosion and fire at an apartment building on the island British self-governing island of Jersey.
Jersey States Police Chief Robin Smith said at a news conference that two people were being treated in hospital after the incident Island capital of St Helier, adding that “around a dozen” residents were still missing.
Local police were alerted to the incident just before 4 a.m. local time, Smith said, adding that emergency services arrived at the scene and put out the fire.
The three-story building “completely collapsed,” Smith confirmed, describing the situation as a “devastating scene.”
He said a number of homes had been evacuated, adding that between 20 and 30 people had been taken to a nearby town hall to seek shelter.
A search and rescue operation for the missing has begun, Smith added.
Jersey is an island territory off the north west coast of France, owned by the British Crown but not part of the UK itself.
