Seven-year-old boy killed as ‘devastating’ blast destroys three homes - Emergency services were called to the incident in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city

A seven-year-old boy has died after an explosion rocked a Newcastle street, causing a major fire that put six people in hospital.Superintendent Darren Adams of Northumbria Police announced the tragic death of the young boy.

Drone images suggest two properties were almost completely levelled by the blast in the Benwell area of the city.

A huge explosion in Newcastle has killed a seven-year-old boy and left at least five other people needing hospital treatment. Police and fire services in Tyneside were alerted to a fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Newcastle City Council asked people to avoid the area and told those living nearby to stay indoors and keep windows closed "until further notice". It also confirmed the house was a council-maintained property.

A seven-year-old boy has died after what was described as a “devastating explosion” destroyed houses in a residential street. Northumbria police confirmed that a child had died and six people were taken to hospital after a large fire in Newcastle in the early hours of Wednesday.

A seven year old boy has died in the explosion at Benwell in Newcastle and six people have been taken to hospital

Callers reported that a child was trapped in the home, which first responders found "fully engulfed in flames."