Benwell explosion: Investigators continue combing through blackened debris over a month on
by Sophie Doughty · ChronicleLiveCombing through the debris of what is left of destroyed homes, investigators are continuing their painstaking work at the scene of the Benwell explosion.
New aerial shots reveal the scale of the investigation still going on more than a month after the fatal blast.
Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, 35, were killed when the explosion ripped through several properties on Violet Close in Benwell, Newcastle, on October 16. Six people were also taken to hospital, but all have now been discharged.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the explosion. The men, two in their 30s and one in his 50s, were questioned on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter and production of cannabis before being released on bail.
Our pictures show how a large number of officers are still working at the scene of the explosion, which remains cordoned off by police, with large white sheets concealing it from view. The former family homes that were completely destroyed in the explosion have now been almost completely cleared, but staircases linking the flats are still visible. But what appears to be forensics officers can be seen combing through the blackened debris. Some look to be sitting on the floor as they carry out their work the rubble, while others appear to be looking down drains.
And what was once the residents gardens is now filled with wreckage.
Archie and his family lived in the block of homes on Violet Close that were destroyed by the blast.
While a number of residents, including Archie’s parents and baby brother, were able to escape, the youngster’s body was found soon after the 1am explosion. Jason’s body was discovered among the debris later that day.
A month on from the explosion residents who had returned to their homes on nearby Buddle Road told the Chronicle how their lives had been changed forever by the tragedy.
Marvis Hunter, 72, who has lived at Buddle Road for more than 40 years, said: “We just can’t get used to it at all. It’s a horrible atmosphere. You can’t get your head around it. There’s a reminder every day out the back. It’s absolutely ripped a whole community apart.
“Everyone just went to bed that night and little did we know what we were going to get through the night. It’s changed things around here forever.”
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