Major Incident: 'Blast' At Didcot Power Station

A major incident has been declared and one person has reportedly been killed after a building collapsed at Didcot Power Station.

It follows reports of a loud explosion at the site in south Oxfordshire around 4pm.

Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, told the Oxford Mail: "I have been told there has been one fatality, but the rest is currently unknown.

"At the moment this is being treated as a collapsed building, not an explosion, but there was a bang," he added.

A Hazardous Area Response Team, six ambulances and two air ambulances have been sent to the scene, South Central Ambulance Service said.

"We are describing it as a major incident," an ambulance spokesman said, adding that "there might be casualties".

A Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said "casualties" were being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He could not release information on the number of "causalities".

The public has been asked to stay away from the hospital unless suffering "serious or life-threatening emergencies".

It is unclear whether the collapse was part of planned demolition work at the site.

Didcot A, a disused oil and gas plant, is currently being demolished, but a natural gas plant, Didcot B, is still functioning on the site.

Pictures show a part of Didcot A has collapsed, with large chunks of debris scattered on the ground.

Mobile phone footage shows a huge amount of smoke rising from the station.

David Cooke, who works in a building next to Didcot station, said: "Our building shook and as we looked out of the window, the end of the main turbine hall collapsed in a huge pile of dust.

"It totally obscured the towers and must have drifted across the roads and main rail line. What's left looks a tangled mess."

Thames Valley Police tweeted: "Officers are at Didcot Power Station at an incident with other emergency services. Further details will be released in due course. #Didcot."

Didcot A ceased operation in March 2013 after more than 40 years or generating power for area.

It was originally a coal-fired station, but was later converted so it could also generate power from natural gas.

A huge fire ripped through Didcot B in October 2014. No one was injured, but the blaze put half of the gas-fuelled plant - which supplies a million homes - out of action.