A major update has been issued by police officers probing a care home tragedy which saw three dead and seven others rushed to hospital.
Emergency services joined gas engineers from the Southern Gas Network (SGN) and cops at the scene of the incident in Dorset this afternoon.
Fifteen ambulances and fire crews were said to have rushed to the scene to investigate the incident, which the causes of death being treated as unexplained.
Gary Suttle, from Dorset Council, told PA there is a “suspicion” that “this could be attributable to carbon monoxide but it has not been proven”.
The Mirror reports Dorset Police said in an update this evening that seven people have been taken to hospital as a precaution and that their main line of inquiry is carbon monoxide poisoning.
The three deaths are currently being treated as unexplained, and cordons are likely to remain in place whilst officers continue to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Emergency services are at the scene at the Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road in Swanage, with the remaining residents having been evacuated to a safe location.
The force added: “The families of those who have died have been informed and the coroner has been notified. At this time there is nothing to indicate any risk to the wider public.
“We understand this incident will have a significant impact on the Swanage community and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have sadly died at this extremely difficult time.”
Katie Lobban, a spokeswoman for gas distribution company SGN, said they were called to the Gainsborough Care Home earlier on Wednesday as the national gas emergency service for the south of England.
She said engineers were sent to complete safety checks in the building, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragic incident.”
Councillor Gary Suttle said evacuated care home residents were initially taken to All Saint’s Church, near the scene, and will be moved to other placements.
He told of local residents “kindly” going to the church with blankets in acts of “great community support”. People living near the scene in Ulwell Road saw residents being taken out of the building.
One man, who did not want to give his name, told PA: “They evacuated the care home, Gainsborough Care Home. They have taken all the patients out but the emergency services are still on the scene.” He said he saw some residents being taken out in wheelchairs.
Patricia Garnel, who lives in Ulwell Road, said she started hearing sirens “non-stop” from around 8am. The 53-year-old said: “I knew something was happening as we started hearing sirens non-stop from around 8, 8.30am.
“As I was driving to the ferry the road was closed. I made it around, got to the ferry and police, ambulances and fire brigades were crossing from Poole to Swanage. It was a huge apparatus. One I’ve never seen.”
The home, run by Agincare, has 48 residents, all elderly and some with dementia. A spokesperson for the Gainsborough Care Home said it has allocated “extra staffing resources” to provide support after an incident at the site.
They also said residents moved to a village hall and church are “safe and well”. They said: “We appreciate that this is a stressful and worrying time for those involved, and have allocated extra staffing resources to provide support locally.
“We are contacting and updating residents’ families. We will continue to work with the lead local authority services to return residents into their home at the earliest opportunity, and will provide further updates in due course.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.