Published: October 27, 2007
Two dead in Axbridge explosion as Burnham emergency services called in

Burnham-On-Sea's emergency services were called to help deal with a major incident in Axbridge on Saturday afternoon (October 27th) in which two people were killed.

Burnham-On-Sea police and paramedics were among the emergency services sent to an address in St Mary Street, Axbridge, in response to an explosion just before 3pm. Our photos show the scenes in the centre of Axbridge minutes after the incident occurred.

Police said that two people - Wilfred and Wendy Bastin - were declared dead at the scene.

A spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com that "the circumstances of the blast are unclear at this stage and our enquiries are continuing."

Devon and Somerset's air ambulance was called to the scene mid-afternoon, as pictured.

Police sealed off the area around the house as their investigations into the tragic incident began.

Carolyn Hoyle-Johnson, landlady of the nearby Crown Inn, said she heard a huge "bang" before emergency services arrived.

Miss Hoyle-Johnson said: "Glass flew across the road and there was a huge bang. It is a very close-knit community and everyone I have seen is very upset. But it is very unclear what actually happened."

A police spokesman added later: "The building where the explosion occurred has been divided up into flats. It happened in a single storey annexe at the rear of the property, which has sustained fire damage and damage to the roof."

"A window at the front of the property was also damaged. There are three other flats in the main building, but it is not believed anyone else was at home at the time."

Police are now waiting for post mortem examinations to be made to determine the cause of these two deaths.