Baby girl and seven-year-old brother recovering after Newark blast which killed two

- The explosion happened just before 5.15pm yesterday in Nottinghamshire- Fire crews found the man's body this morning during a search of the rubble- Ongoing searches found the body of a woman- A man who suffered serious injuries and smoke inhalation remains in hospital
Maxine Frith20 May 2013

A four-month old baby girl and her seven-year-old brother were recovering today after miraculously surviving a huge gas blast which destroyed the house next door and killed two other people.

The children were rescued by a construction worker following the explosion at a terraced house in Newark, Notts, yesterday afternoon.

The youngsters and their mother were taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where they were treated for smoke inhalation before being discharged.

Fire chiefs have praised the reaction of local people who saved the woman and her children as their house also partially collapsed.

Construction worker Cormac Fleming was passing when the explosion occurred.

He said: “We ran over and smashed the window with a brick.

“Next thing the mother handed me a four-month-old baby and a seven-year-old boy. Then she came out.

“They were all covered from head to foot in soot.”

Retired company director Leslie Rourke, 71, and his daughter-in-law Jeanette Rourke, 40, were killed in the explosion while Mrs Rourke’s husband Nick is fighting for his life in hospital.

Jeanette Dixon, 34, and her partner Katie Graves hauled Nick Rourke to safety.

Ms Graves, 27, said: “We saw a hand poking out of the rubble and pulled him out.

“Just as we got him out the flames erupted across the building, it was indescribable.

“When he was passed to me I honestly thought he was a black man, the dirt and dust on him was so thick. He kept saying ‘where’s my dad, where’s Jeanette?’”

More than 100 people were evacuated from homes in the area and spent the night in a makeshift refuge at a local sports centre.

Police and fire crews are investigating the cause of the explosion, which is thought to have been triggered by a gas leak.

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