Bosley mill explosion: Blast search resumes as body found

One person died and three others are feared dead after explosions at Wood Flour Mills near Cheshire Friday, July 17.

Three remain missing. The families of William Barks, 51, Dorothy Bailey, 62, Jason Shingler, 38, and Derek Moore, 62, are being kept informed of all developments.

“This is a particularly hard time for the families involved and it is with regret that Cheshire Police are confirming this evening that a body has been located in one of the two areas being searched”, police said in a statement.

Police and fire chiefs say fire and rescue teams have been working non-stop since the blast around 9.10am on Friday at the mill in the village of Bosley, Cheshire.

“Our primary thought is about those who are missing and their families, and those who are still recovering from the blast”, he said.

But officials concede that while they carry on the methodical search of the site, the chances of finding anyone alive are fading.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Paul Hancock, added: “The whole mental psyche of the crews is they are looking for people still alive”.

“There are families whose homes have been damaged and they have had to be relocated to emergency accommodation”.

The site has been struck by two previous fires in 2010 and 2012.

MISSING: William Barks, Dorothy Bailey, Jason Shingler and Derek Moore [PA].

Michael Jones, leader of Cheshire East Council, today praised the community spirit but said some people were now starting to ask questions.

“We were there to clean up a situation of dust particles in the area, at the exterior to it, that shouldn’t have been in there and we did clear it up and we have got before and after pictures showing what a job they did and they did comply completely with our orders”.

Local Conservative MP David Rutley told Sky News that as far as he was aware, the firm has also not been in touch with its employees in the 48 hours since the explosions.

It was revealed on Sunday that enforcement officers called at a Cheshire wood mill two weeks before the incident and ordered the company, which has been the subject of complaints about dust, to clear up the site.