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by Press Association

A man has died in a suspected gas blast which destroyed a house.

Gas engineers and police are investigating the cause of the blast which shook surrounding houses during the early hours of Thursday in Andover, Hampshire.

Fire crews have finished searching the wreckage of the house and say everyone is accounted for.

Andy Phillips, 44, who lives close to the house which has been completely destroyed, said: “We live about 100 yards away, the sound was like a huge clap of thunder that shook and rattled ours and many other houses, damaging some of them.

“The debris covers about a 25-metre radius.”

He said the property on Launcelot Close was a shared house for people “getting back on their feet after hard times”.

Housing association Aster Group said: “We’re aware that there has been an explosion at a property in Andover which we understand has resulted tragically in a fatality.

“We’re working closely with the emergency services as they carry out their investigations.

“Our senior team is attending the incident and our neighbourhood teams on the ground are already onsite offering help and support to the residents involved.”

Dan Brown, a spokesman for gas distribution company SGN, said: “While it is too early to speculate as to what has happened, we’re working closely with the emergency services to help identify the cause.

“We’ll remain on site to support the emergency services to help discover the cause of the explosion.”

Neighbouring properties were also evacuated as a precaution.