Five people are now confirmed to have died following a huge explosion which destroyed a block of flats in Jersey, after rescuers said they expect to find more bodies.
Robin Smith, chief of Jersey Police, warned it is likely to take specialist teams ‘weeks’ to complete their ‘meticulous and painstaking’ search through the rubble.
The force earlier said the mission is now a ‘recovery operation’ for ‘around a dozen’ missing people and they no longer expect to find anyone alive.
A blast destroyed the three-storey Haut du Mont block in Pier Road in the Channel Island’s capital at about 4am on Saturday.
Mr Smith told a press conference on Sunday: ‘We have moved to a recovery stage, it’s a moment to think about the families.
‘We have deployed family liaison officers to the families; it’s utterly important we are sensitive to their emotions as we begin a meticulous and painstaking search of the debris following the explosion.’
He added: ‘We are not going to be here for days, we are going to be here for weeks, and it’s important I make that clear.
‘It is not going to happen quickly, it’s going to happen carefully and sensitively.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates.
You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.