Jersey City Apartment Explosion: Death toll reaches 10

The death toll has reached 10 after a woman, who had got injured in an explosion at a Jersey City apartment building earlier this month, died on Christmas.

Jersey City police said, 73-year-old Kathleen "Kathy" McGinness, who resided in a nearby building and was hurt in the explosion, passed away on Christmas in the hospital.

An explosion swept through the three-story Haut du Mont building at Pier Road in the capital of the Channel Islands at around 4 am on Saturday, December 10.


Jersey's Chief of Police Robin Smith remarked that it is extremely unfortunate to announce another death connected to Haut du Mont.



Following the incident at Pier Road, she had been brought to the hospital, while her family was receiving help from highly qualified police family liaison officers.

Following the post-mortem, the names of the nine other victims in the three-storey residential building were verified. Emergency agencies made a statement on December 11 saying they had stopped seeking survivors.

Although the reason is still unknown, Paul Brown, Jersey's chief fire officer, previously stated that there were "many different potential causes" and that it was too early to make any assumptions.

According to reports, residents reported smelling gas in the building, hours before the explosion. That is why a leak was cited as a "likely" reason after the fire department was rushed to the scene. However, Island Energy's CEO said that the impacted flats were not linked to the gas network.

The island's fire department is currently under the radar of an independent inquiry.

FAQs:

1. Who are the nine remaining victims?
   They included 63-year-old Billy Marsden, 61-year-old Derek Ellis, 73-year-old Sylvia Ellis, 67-year-old Romeu De Almeida, 64-year-old Louise De Almeida, 71-year-old Raymond Brown, 720-year-old Ken Ralph, 71-year-old Jane Ralph and 72-year-old Peter Bowler.
2. What caused the explosion in Jersey?
   The reason is still unknown. Paul Brown, Jersey's chief fire officer, had stated that there were multiple potential causes and that it was too soon to make any assumptions.