West Midlands Fire Service said a woman died after a gas explosion reduced houses to rubble on Sunday evening (26 June) in Kingstanding, Birmingham.

They confirmed the fatality on Monday morning (27 June), writing on Twitter: “We’re very sad to confirm that a woman has been found dead at the scene of last night’s explosion in #Kingstanding.

West Midlands Police said they were called just after 8.30 pm on Sunday to the incident on Dulwich Road in Kingstanding, with one house destroyed and several others significantly damaged.

Another man is in a life-threatening condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham.

Emergency services said the cause of the fire is not yet known.

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