Officials say three people were killed Saturday morning after an explosion in an apartment building on the island of Jersey, off the coast of northern France.
Local emergency officials said Sunday that a search and rescue operation has now become a recovery operation, indicating that officials believe that there are no survivors.
Authorities have not said what the source of the blast was but have acknowledged that fire services were called to the site Friday because residents reported the smell of gas.
Robin Smith, the chief officer of the States of Jersey Police said a three-story building had “completely collapsed.”
Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands and is self-governing, although Britain is responsible for its defense and international relations.