A child has died after an explosion destroyed a house in south London.
In a statement, the London Ambulance Service said: "This morning, alongside colleagues from London Fire Brigade, we attended an incident in Thornton Heath.
"We treated four people. One was discharged and three others were taken to hospital.
"Sadly, a child was also pronounced dead at the scene.
A child has died after a house collapsed following an explosion in Croydon
Dominic Lipinski
"All LAS crews have now been stood down."
Firefighters were called to the scene in Galpin’s Road in Thornton Heath shortly after 7am on Monday.
Earlier, residents said that three children had been evacuated but they feared a fourth was still trapped inside.
Several people, who had been evacuated in their pyjamas, said their windows were shattered early on Monday morning by the force of the explosion.
Two neighbours, Kutoya Kukanda, 50, and Delroy Simms, 62, said they helped rescue three children from the rubble at around 7am, but they feared a girl aged around four or five was still trapped inside.
Emergency services rushed to the scene
Dominic Lipinski
They added they believed the children’s mum had been evacuated, and that the house next door had also been badly affected by the blast.
Many said they had reported a strong gas smell two weeks ago, and others said they had been feeling dizzy and sick over the last two days.
Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were sent to the scene where the terraced house collapsed.
LFB said it had taken 14 calls to the incident since 7.08am.
Fire crews from Norbury, Mitcham, West Norwood, Woodside and surrounding fire stations were sent to the scene.
A statement from the brigade said: “A terraced house has collapsed following an explosion and neighbouring properties have also been damaged. Three people have been rescued.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers are also at the scene.
A statement on Twitter said: “Officers are at the scene in Galpin’s Road as part of the emergency services response to this incident. Please follow London Fire for updates.”
