Five people have died and a number remain seriously ill following an explosion and fire at a convenience store in Leicester on Sunday night  (25 February).

Emergency services were called to Western Park Store at 7pm but the store and above flat had already been destroyed.

The former Londis store had recently been re-opened as a Polish supermarket and was sandwiched between a busy takeaway and a pub, and directly in front of a bus stop.

At this stage, there are five confirmed fatalities and three people remain in hospital.

Emergency services remain at the scene this morning, searching the collapsed property and conducting enquiries in the area.

Superintendent Shane O’Neill said: “There are a large number of resources from various agencies at the scene in Hinckley Road and they are expected to be in place throughout the day.

“The building consisted of a shop premises on the ground level and a two-storey flat above it. We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties.

“Once the site is deemed to be safe a joint investigation with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service will begin looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident, which at this stage are not being linked to terrorism.”

Electricity to a number of homes was affected by the incident and a cordon was put in place, but no neighbouring properties were evacuated overnight.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Matt Cane said: “Crews have worked through the night, alongside partner agencies, as they continue to search the scene in order to try and locate any further survivors or casualties.

“We have six fire crews on scene, including a specialist search and rescue team who are supported by two search dogs, and this level of resourcing is likely to be in place throughout the day.

“The cause of the explosion and fire is still yet to be determined and we will work closely with colleagues from the police as our enquiries into the circumstances continue today.”