The death toll following an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey has risen to nine, the island's police chief confirmed on Thursday.
The devastating blast, which happened around 4am on Saturday, destroyed a building in the Channel Island’s capital of St Helier.
Police say they do not believe anyone else is now missing.
Seven of those killed in the explosion have been named as Peter Bowler, 72, Raymond (Raymie) Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, and 63-year-old Billy Marsden.
Police chief Robin Smith said on Thursday: "The number of islanders confirmed to have died in the blast is now nine.
"The families have been made aware of this announcement before the public and media and continue to be supported by our specially trained family liaison officers.
"We believe there are no more residents that remain unaccounted for.
"The search operation will continue until the site has been fully cleared."
The Viscount’s Office previously confirmed that inquests will only be opened once the disaster victim identification (DVI) process has been fully completed.
Mr Smith said on Sunday that the “likely” cause of the explosion was a gas leak – but Jo Cox, chief officer at Island Energy, said the flats affected were not connected to the gas network.
An independent investigation into the island’s fire service is continuing after it was found that officers had been called to the flats at 8.36pm on Friday, hours before the blast.
Paul Brown, head of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service, said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon: “It’s inappropriate for me to talk about anything else on Friday evening because the most appropriate place to do that is through the investigative process, because the only important thing here is the families.
“Ordinarily we would investigate – we investigate hundreds of fires every year – but on this occasion we will commission independent investigators.
“I think it’s important that everybody is absolutely assured about the openness and transparency and the relentless drive for the truth through facts, and that’s why I’m determined that there should be an independent view of the cause of the fire and explosion.
“More practically, this is a large, complex event for a small service like ours. You can imagine all of our resources have been drawn into the response and so there is a resourcing issue there as well.”
