Woman caught in 'gas' explosion at home dies in hospital

A woman has died in hospital after a suspected gas explosion at her Kent home on Thursday afternoon, fire services have confirmed.

She had been transported by air ambulance to King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south London, after an 'unimageable' explosion destroyed her bungalow.

Fire investigators are continuing to work to find the cause of the explosion.

The area around the bungalow on Canterbury Road, Charing, was closed in the aftermath of the incident, but has since been reopened.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: 'We can now confirm that the woman taken to hospital following the explosion and fire yesterday in Canterbury Road, Charing, has died.

'The investigation into the cause of the explosion continues.'

Emergency services  arrived at the home in Charing, near Ashford at 11.41am on Thursday, with four fire engines, a bulk water carrier, a fire investigation team and Kent Police all attending the scene.

They  discovered the property ablaze and largely reduced to rubble.

Fire crews were at the scene of the incident for almost 10 hours, with hot spots finally extinguished at 9.30pm on Thursday.

A dog belonging to the family was found at the scene and the animal was taken into the care of a local vet.

One witness spoke of their shock at hearing the explosion.

They told Kent Online: 'It was an unimaginable bang – everything shook and you can see where the bungalow was. You wouldn't wish it on anyone.'

Initially the explosion was believed to have been caused by a glider aircraft hitting the bungalow, but it has since been confirmed no plane was involved in the incident.