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A woman’s body has been found dead days after a house exploded in Sydney’s west.
A woman in her 30s was missing after an explosion caused the house in Waikanda Crescent in Whalan to collapse at around 12.50pm on Saturday.
Police have confirmed that a woman’s body was found at around 3.20am this morning.
She has not yet been officially identified.
The missing woman is believed to be a trainee nurse who was visiting her mother, who remained in the ruins keep vigil praying for news and are cared for by neighbors.
“She kept saying, ‘My daughter is strong, my daughter is strong, my daughter is strong,'” said neighbor Evelyn Schogunle.
“And I just told her, ‘Just have faith and be strong and at this point we have to take care of you.'”
Reports of the “smell of leaking gas” months before the explosion
Andrew’s grandfather was one of five people hospitalized after the explosion at the government buildings.
He told 9News that the building “always smells like a gas leak.”
Housing Minister Rose Jackson confirmed her department was investigating the report.
“I am deeply concerned to hear of accounts from residents who have reportedly raised the issue of the smell of gas over the past 12 months,” she said.
“I have instructed Homes NSW to investigate this matter as a matter of urgency. The department is currently checking the support logs for any history of this.”
In the meantime, Jackson said all residents will receive counseling and temporary housing until future housing options are identified.
“Tenants will have the option of being relocated to alternative housing with the option of returning to the site after redevelopment,” she said.
“Moving expenses (packing, moving and unpacking) will also be provided.”
The search for the missing woman continues
With the body of a woman found, the search-and-rescue operation will come to an end and forensic experts will now intervene to determine the cause of the explosion.
There were several small spot fires under parts of the wreckage that hampered the rescue operation yesterday.
“There were a number of complications during the operation, we had a gas leak early on which took a significant amount of time to contain,” NSW Fire and Rescue Service Commissioner Jeremy Futrell told reporters yesterday.
“There was also a fire under the debris in the collapsed area and every now and then that flared up, they couldn’t get directly to the fire because of the debris.”
Police Chief Trent King said the majority of the people rescued were in the care of public housing.
“It’s a very confrontational scene for all the emergency personnel who are inside right now working there,” he said.
“The amount of work carried out by all emergency services over the last 18 hours is remarkable, especially given the weather conditions and the level of destruction behind us.”
Carol, a townhouse resident, was inside when it broke out and hid under the door frame.
“All of a sudden there was this loud explosion and everything started collapsing,” she told 9News.
“I couldn’t get out, there were no stairs.”
Walter, another resident of the complex, got out in time.
“There was a light, a bright light, then a boom, my kitchen window first exploded, then the ceiling collapsed,” he told 9News.
While Leanne Ansell, who lives two doors down from the townhouse, was also affected.
“There’s glass all over my porch, two of my bedroom windows were broken, and my living room was broken into as well,” she said.
Police said it could take days to determine the cause of the explosion.
“The large explosion blew out windows and damaged neighboring townhouses in the multi-apartment complex,” Fire and Rescue NSW said in a statement.
A gas leak initially prevented rescuers from entering the ruins, but gas supply to the area has since been cut.
Fire and Rescue NSW said the hazard was contained to the area of the collapse.
More than a dozen units were deployed, including HAZMAT and aerial drones.
Members of the public have been urged to avoid the scene and local traffic diversions have been put in place.
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