Children hurt in gas blast

Updated 22.36 Sat Jul 05 2008

Six children have been injured in a suspected gas explosion, police said.

Officers said they are treating the blast at an empty block of flats in Marine Parade, Folkestone, Kent, as suspicious.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which sent four engines to the scene, said the explosion caused 80 per cent damage to three floors of the five-storey building

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "Six children, all thought to be young teenagers or pre-teens, were taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford mainly suffering from superficial wounds.

"A 13-year-old boy received burns but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

"Police investigating this incident will be speaking to the children about the explosion and are currently treating it as suspicious."

He added the building was believed to be vacant and no one else was unaccounted for.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which sent four engines to the scene, said the explosion caused 80 per cent damage to three floors of the five-storey building.

Anyone with information is urged to call Folkestone Police on 01305 850055.