Five people have died after an explosion ripped through a shop, Zabka, and flat in Hinckley Road, Leicester, last Sunday night. The blast tore apart Western Park stores, close to the junction with Westcotes Drive, at about 7pm.
A massive blaze broke out at the site within a couple of minutes of the explosion, which rocked houses in nearby streets. Emergency services have been at the scene through the night.
Leicestershire Police said on Monday afternoon that five people are confirmed to have died in the incident. They included a mother, Mary Ragoobar, 46 and her two teenage sons Shane, 18, and 17-year-old Sean who are feared to have lost their lives in the Hinckley Road explosion. Her younger son Scotty, 15, survived the blast and was taken to hospital.
The boys’ dad, Jose Ragoobeer, 58, was at work at the time and received a call telling him about the tragedy, the Mirror reported this evening. Shane’s teenage girlfriend is also feared to have died in the explosion.
Earlier Monday, officials confirmed the death toll had reached five. Mr Rungen told the Mirror his brother-in-law was in hospital with Scotty, who was pulled from the rubble by a passer-by. But Mr Rungen said he was losing hope as he had received no word about his other relatives for more than 17 hours.
Death toll rises after Leicester explosion - police confirm search for survivors continues.
Store owner Aram Kurd, who was on duty with another member of staff, said he had gone to the storeroom when the explosion happened. "I heard a big bang, I thought 'What was that?' and found myself on the floor. My eyes were open, looking up and my body was half covered in rubble. I couldn't breathe, I was lying....I don't know how long for. Everywhere I could see fire, like I was inside hell."
Building owner Hardeep Singh said the Ragoobeer family, who is orignally from Mauritius, moved into the flat around a year ago.
He said: “I called Jose after I heard about the blast. He was at work and he was safe, but I don’t know about the rest of the family. There was a gas boiler in the flat, in the bathroom at the back of the property, and a gas cooker.
Local resident Harish Patni told Sky News: ”We heard this massive explosion, the shop window six doors away vibrated and we thought it can’t be a car accident, it didn’t sound like a crash. We came outside and there was a big cloud of smoke, bricks all across the road.”
