A search for people after an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey that left three dead has found no signs of life.
Emergency service bosses said the search and rescue operation was now one of recovery.
“We have been searching and we will not stop searching for people’s loved ones,” Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown told a press conference.
It is understood there were nine known residents in the block before the blast in St Helier on Saturday morning.
Three bodies have been found at the Pier Road scene and specialist teams are continuing to look for six more.
It is estimated there could be up to a dozen, as details on visitors remain unknown.
The fire service had attended the flats just after 20:30 GMT on Friday after the smell of gas was reported, it has been confirmed.
The blast happened at about 04:00 GMT on Saturday.
Specialist teams and a search dog have been carrying out searches at the scene.
Chief of Jersey Police Robin Smith described how there had been a “meticulous and painstaking search of the debris following the explosion, to start carefully identifying bodies when and if we find them”.
He told the press conference: “That will take time. We are not going to be here for days we are likely to be here for weeks.”
Mr Smith said it was “difficult to be precise” on the total number of fatalities.
“The one area I can be precise on is we have three confirmed fatalities and it’s fair to say we expect to find more,” he said.
“Previously we have said in the region of a dozen but it’s difficult to make that assessment. That’s the number we hope we do not get to but that is the number we are working to.”
Mr Smith said “around 40” people had been displaced because of the blast and the damage it had caused to nearby buildings.
None of the emergency leaders could confirm the cause, but Mr Smith was asked to comment on whether it was down to a gas explosion.
“It looks likely that is the case,” he said.
“But as you often hear the police service say, we keep all our options open.”
He added: “We will seek experts who are independent, as we would do with any investigation where there is particular specialisms – be reassured this will be an independent investigation.”
Stating whether criminal activity was suspected, he added: “We rule nothing in and we rule nothing out.”
Paul Brown, Jersey chief fire officer, acknowledged something had gone “horribly wrong”.
