Police say a child has been killed and a man seriously burned in an explosion that destroyed a house in northwest England, Ap reported. Police say they are investigating a possible gas leak. The National Grid utilities company said residents had complained of a smell of gas before Tuesday's blast. The explosion left a smoking pile of rubble where the row house had stood in the town of Oldham, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northwest of London. Greater Manchester Police said the injured man was taken to a nearby hospital with burns to 80 percent of his body. Police said one person was believed to be trapped in the rubble and another was unaccounted for. The National Grid said five houses were damaged and 100 homes evacuated after the blast.
