Body found after blast ‘like cannon’
Residents have described an explosion that left a person dead in West Auckland yesterday as an extremely loud bang that shattered neighbours’ windows and left some residents’ eyes stinging.
A body was found after the blast ripped through the property yesterday afternoon.
The force shook nearby homes and blew out neighbouring windows.
A plume of black smoke could be seen drifting from the property on the corner of Don Buck Rd and Universal Drive.
“A body has been located following an explosion at a Henderson address near Swanson Rd this evening,” police said.
“Police are carrying out a scene examination and are working to understand the circumstances of the incident.
“Police ask that [people avoid the area] while inquiries are under way.”
The scene was closed around 8.40pm for the night and the road reopened.
A police spokesperson said a guard would be at the scene overnight and police would resume investigations this morning.
Paul Eutnam, at Lower Don Buck Rd Superette, said his first thought when he heard the loud explosion, which happened about 10m from the shop, was that there had been a terrorist attack.
“We’ve got a solid concrete building here and we could feel the jitter and shakes . . . It was very loud.
“I thought there was a local terrorist attack of some sort.”
Eutnam said plumes of black smoke erupted into the air followed by white smoke.
Residents gathered in the superette and were reporting a slight irritation of their eyes and nose. “There was a distinctive smell.” Eutnam said the explosion appeared to have happened in a garden shed in the backyard of the property on Universal Drive, but the explosion left a massive hole in the next door neighbour’s fence.
One neighbour said the impact felt as if a large shipping container had been dropped on the ground from a big height.
Herald reader Louise Martin commented: “Sounded like a massive gunshot — or cannon.”
A St John spokeswoman said they were called to the scene at 4.54pm but did not treat anyone and left the scene at 6.15pm.