Tweet
</span> 
Fire crews and sniffer dogs made sure everyone had been accounted for
Related stories
Hundreds of residents have spent the night away from their homes following a suspected gas explosion in Irlam, Greater Manchester.
Three homes were flattened and 20 properties were damaged in the blast in Merlin Road on Tuesday.
Fire crews said they were "amazed" more people were not seriously hurt in the incident.
A woman aged 82 is in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Fourteen others suffered minor injuries.
The 82-year-old victim is being treated at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Five of the 14 victims with minor injuries were children. Three adults were kept overnight in Salford Royal Hospital as a precaution.
An emergency cordon remains in place affecting 200 homes in the Merlin Road area.
Hotels were provided for residents who could not stay with their relatives.
The source of the explosion has been traced back to the middle house of the three destroyed in the blast.
A new kitchen and bathroom had just been fitted.
Tim Doyle, chief executive of City West Housing, the firm which owns the property, said he believed it was a gas explosion.
"It would be extremely unlikely that what has happened is not connected with the work carried out," he said.
A spokesman for the housing company added: "As part of the work, the cooker was disconnected at the start of the day and reconnected at the end of the day."
Mr Doyle said 100 hotel rooms had been booked in nearby hotels and 12 to 25 properties on the edge of the blast would need structural checks.
The Health and Safety Executive has begun a joint inquiry with Greater Manchester Police.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Fire crews and sniffer dogs made sure everyone had been accounted for
Related stories
Hundreds of residents have spent the night away from their homes following a suspected gas explosion in Irlam, Greater Manchester.
Three homes were flattened and 20 properties were damaged in the blast in Merlin Road on Tuesday.
Fire crews said they were "amazed" more people were not seriously hurt in the incident.
A woman aged 82 is in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Fourteen others suffered minor injuries.
The 82-year-old victim is being treated at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Five of the 14 victims with minor injuries were children. Three adults were kept overnight in Salford Royal Hospital as a precaution.
An emergency cordon remains in place affecting 200 homes in the Merlin Road area.
Hotels were provided for residents who could not stay with their relatives.
The source of the explosion has been traced back to the middle house of the three destroyed in the blast.
A new kitchen and bathroom had just been fitted.
Tim Doyle, chief executive of City West Housing, the firm which owns the property, said he believed it was a gas explosion.
"It would be extremely unlikely that what has happened is not connected with the work carried out," he said.
A spokesman for the housing company added: "As part of the work, the cooker was disconnected at the start of the day and reconnected at the end of the day."
Mr Doyle said 100 hotel rooms had been booked in nearby hotels and 12 to 25 properties on the edge of the blast would need structural checks.
The Health and Safety Executive has begun a joint inquiry with Greater Manchester Police.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.