Four dead after explosion at Avonmouth water plant in Bristol

Police declare major incident following explosion involving chemical tanks

Four people have been killed and one person injured after an explosion at a wastewater treatment plant in Bristol that could be heard more than a mile away.

It is believed the five people were all working on top of or near a silo that contained biosolids - solid matter recovered in sewage treatment processes and turned into organic soil conditioner. A rescue operation involving urban search and rescue teams, tracker dogs and helicopters was launched following the explosion at the Wessex Water site in Avonmouth.