A search is under way for a person who remains unaccounted for after a gas explosion destroyed a townhouse in a complex in Sydney’s west this afternoon.
Emergency services were called to Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, near Mount Druitt, just before 1pm on Saturday after reports of a loud explosion heard by residents in surrounding streets.
Two women were rescued from the collapsed home, a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 70s who uses a wheelchair.
They were among five people who sustained minor injuries and are in a stable condition.
However, authorities have not been able to locate one person they say was on the second floor of the property at the time of the blast and is feared to be under the rubble.
“We have a generalised area where we’re searching for them and that’s based on the design of the building,” Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Ross Genders said.
“So we know that it’s the backside of the building where the most rubble has collapsed.
“At this time, all we know is that they’re still alive. We’re just going with what we can do.”
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