A CHILD has died after a house collapsed following a horror explosion in South London.
London Ambulance Service said the child was pronounced dead at the scene in Galpin's Road in Thornton Heath.
Four others were injured in the devastation after the terraced house was razed to the ground amid a blast that sent debris flying hundreds of feet into the air.
Two adults and an 11-year-old boy were rescued from the wreckage of the property and a desperate search was launched to find the missing child, the London Fire Brigade said.
Three have been taken to hospital with life-changing injuries, a further person was treated at the scene.
Earlier concerns were raised for a four-year-old girl.
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Following the tragedy, Richard Welch, Deputy Assistant Commissioner at London Fire Brigade (LFB), said: "Firefighters carried out a substantial search of the property.
"Sadly a child was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Our thoughts are with their family, friends and the local community at this time."
Those injured were from the collapsed property and surrounding homes.
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The fire brigade said they were not conducting any further searches for anyone else.
All crews have now been stood down.
Around 40 properties have been evacuated as a precaution and a 50 metre cordon is now in place, Mr Welch added.
Neighbours were evacuated from the area following the horror at around 7am this morning.
Six fire engines and around 45 firefighters were on the scene in three minutes, according to LFB.
Shocking images from the area show the scale of the devastation with numerous homes damaged in the explosion.
And one harrowing picture shows a child's bedroom gutted by the blast – a toy can be seen on the wall.
A mum was heard screaming in the street for "my boy" amid the heart-breaking scenes, MyLondon reported.
An eyewitness who lives opposite the explosion told The Sun: "I heard a huge boom and when I opened my curtains the whole street was full of smoke.
"Straight away I heard a woman screaming for help. They were still inside the house. Everyone ran out to help her.
"The whole house was completely flattened. There is nothing left of it. It's just a pile of rubble.
"Windows across the street have been blown out and cars are smashed up.
"They managed to get some of the children out but one child we think is still trapped underneath.
"I don't know what's happened to them. Their mum is still there."
Another resident from further down the street said their door had blown open when the explosion happened.
Residents on the street told The Sun gas works had been taking place for "four weeks" – there is no suggestion the works have any link to the blast at this stage.
But a spokesperson for Scottish Gas Network (SGN) who were conducting gas works on the street told The Sun their engineers are working closely with emergency services to establish the cause of the explosion.
They added: "Following the explosion in Galpin’s Road, Thornton Heath earlier today, our deepest sympathies are with the family of the child who has tragically died as well as those who have been injured.
"We’d like to reassure everyone that our engineers are working closely with the emergency services to establish the cause of the explosion.
"Given the ongoing Police investigation, it is inappropriate to comment any further at this stage."
The mother was screaming and saying: 'One of my daughters is still inside'. Everything was falling.
People who had been evacuated from Galpin's Road in their pyjamas told how their windows had shattered from the force of the explosion.
Two neighbours, Kutoya Kukanda, 50, and Delroy Simms, 62, said they helped rescue three children from the rubble at around 7am.
But they feared a girl was still trapped inside.
Mr Simms said: "I was getting ready to go to work when I heard the explosion.
"I already knew what it was because that gas was smelling all week, really strong. It was giving me a headache yesterday.
"My neighbour has been calling them (gas engineers) all week. When I heard the explosion it was like an earthquake.
"It shook me up, and my house. The shutters on our windows blew off their hinges. I went to the window and saw the devastation."
Mr Simms said that Mr Kukanda passed children out to him as bricks were still falling from the structure.
Mr Kukanda, who had a bruise on his shin from a falling brick, said: "I heard boom, then I opened the door.
"I saw smoke, the house had collapsed, and people were screaming inside.
"I went inside and took the first baby – there were three children. I took one of the children, gave it to him (Mr Simms).
"The mother was screaming and saying: 'One of my daughters is still inside'. Everything was falling."
Mr Simms added that the house next door was also damaged, and he saw a man he presumed to be the occupant standing on top of "around eight feet of rubble, digging with his hands" as he searched for his partner.
Straight away I heard a woman screaming for help. They were still inside the house. Everyone ran out to help her
Mr Simms added: "I went and got him a pair of shoes.
"He said: 'My wife is still in there.' Everything was chaotic.
"He was trying to dig his way down but then the fire brigade came and told him to come down because it might blow again. They told us to get back."
They believed the children's mother had been evacuated.
They said the house next door had also been badly affected by the blast.
Some residents at the cordon said they had reported a strong gas smell two weeks ago, and others said they had been feeling dizzy and sick over the last two days.
Residents living nearby described hearing the explosion.
One lady who lives just a few doors down from where the blast happened wrote on Facebook: "I'm very shaken."
Meanwhile another said: "The bang frightened the life out of me.
"I'm opposite Galpin's, they have the helicopter circling & can hear sirens."
A third added: "I don’t even live close but I thought I heard a massive bang around that time and couldn’t figure out what it could be.
"I know sound travels. I hope the residents are all safe."
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One woman, who lives three and a half miles away in Colliers Wood, added: "Did we just have an earthquake? Did anyone else feel that?"
Fire crews from Norbury, Mitcham, West Norwood, Woodside and surrounding fire stations were called to the scene around 7.08am this morning.
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