A seven-year-old boy has died after an explosion in a residential street in Newcastle.
Police say six people were taken to hospital following the explosion and subsequent fire in Violet Close in the early hours of this morning.
Drone images shared on social media suggest two properties were almost completely levelled by the blast in the Benwell area of the city.
Piles of debris could be seen on the street outside.
A spokesman for Northern Gas Networks said its engineers are on site and it is “supporting the emergency services during this ongoing incident”.
A fire service van marked “search dogs” was parked near the scene.
Northumbria Police said it was called to the street by the fire service at around 12.45am today.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said around an hour later that it had several fire engines at the scene. It urged people to avoid the area and keep their windows and doors closed.
Pic: Yappap
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said that it also arrived at 12.45am and had taken three adults and one child to hospital following the explosion.
Police later said a total of six people were taken to hospital and a number of others were evacuated from the area.
Firefighters have been using a jet to damp down the scene of the fire which was still smouldering this morning.
Superintendent Darren Adams, of Northumbria Police, speaks to the media .
Pic: PA
Meanwhile, vehicle recovery workers were taking away several damaged cars on low-loaders.
A family friend of some of the victims said there had been a “devastating explosion”.
Andy Riches, a safety steward at Newcastle United, has set up an online fundraiser in aid of the occupants of one of the homes affected.
He is friends with the grandfather of a couple with two children who live in one of the flats, and said: “They have lost everything.”