On 8 August 2022 a gas explosion on Galpin's Road in Thornton Heath collapsed a house and killed four-year-old Sahara Salman. The collapse left a glaring gap in the terraced row, surrounded by hoardings adorned with toys and messages. Several residents had reported a strong smell of gas in the days before the blast. A criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police began in 2022, delaying an inquest and preventing the child's death from being registered until its conclusion. The family and community remain frustrated by slow progress and by lack of detail while the mother continues to experience profound grief.
On a fine summer morning in the school holidays, a blast ripped through a quiet street in Thornton Heath, south London. The gas explosion on Galpin's Road on 8 August 2022 caused a house to collapse. A little girl, Sahara Salman, was found dead in the rubble. Three years on her mother, Sana Ahmad, says she feels like she's still "reliving it daily", as she recalls the frantic search for her four-year-old daughter after "the whole house came down on me".
Hoardings adorned with toys and messages still surround the glaring gap in the row of terraced houses where she and her family once lived. "Every time I go past the house, I'm re-traumatised," says Sana. Several residents had reported a strong smell of gas in the days before the explosion. The Metropolitan Police began a criminal investigation in 2022. But those who lost everything - and the wider community - say they are "frustrated" by the lack of detail and how long it is taking.
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