Whalan townhouse explosion: Body is found in search for woman trapped under rubble

A body has been found following a desperate search for a woman trapped under rubble after an explosion leveled a mansion.

The massive explosion occurred on the second floor of the building on Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, in Sydney’s west, about 1pm on Saturday.

Jasmin Mhey, 30, was identified on Sunday evening as the missing woman believed to be trapped in the rubble of the decimated building.

NSW Police provided an update on the search, revealing a woman’s body was found about 3.20am on Monday.

The woman has yet to be formally identified. A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.

The horrific explosion could be heard blocks away, shattering the glass of neighboring buildings. Five other people were treated at the scene by ambulance crews.

The massive explosion occurred on the second floor of the building on Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, in Sydney’s west, at around 1pm on Saturday.

Ms Mhey’s distraught mother, who has been keeping a vigil across the street and closely monitoring the search, told neighbors she had reported the smell of gas in the building and on the street in recent months.

Neighbors described the moment she returned to the house.

“She (the mother) was on her hands and knees screaming for her daughter,” a neighbor said.

“She didn’t want to leave, she sat here all night in the rain and the cold and said she wouldn’t leave until her daughter was gone.”

On Sunday, police announced that the search area was a crime scene and officers closed the street.

Initial indications suggest the explosion may have been the result of a gas leak, but the actual cause has yet to be officially determined.

Emergency services responded to a call on Saturday after reports of an explosion that had ‘blown out’ a level of the unit.

Windows were smashed during the explosion and witnesses heard screaming.

Paramedics treated five people after suffering injuries from the explosion.

Two women were rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building: a woman in her 60s and another woman in her 70s who uses a wheelchair.

The two women were taken to hospital in St George and Hawkesbury but have since been released.

Another 12 people from surrounding properties were evacuated as the explosion damaged nearby houses and apartment buildings.

Ambulance NSW told Daily Mail Australia five people were taken to hospital after the blast – three to Mount Druitt Hospital and another three to the Hawkesbury District District Health Service. Their current circumstances are unknown.

Another person was treated at the scene.

Whalan resident Kathleen Morris said the sound of the explosion was tremendous.

‘I heard a big bang and the whole house shook. “Everyone came out of the house wondering what happened,” she said.

A resident told the Courier mail that the explosion “rocked my house four blocks away.”

One person on social media said they heard the blast from their yard in Lethbridge Park, 2.5 km away, while another said they heard the blast 9.4 km away in St Clair.

Terry Fisher, who was working around the corner at the time, told the publication that he ran to the unit block when he heard a loud bang.

“I was working around the corner and heard a very loud explosion,” he said. “The house I was in, two blocks away, was shaking.”

“It was definitely a shock to see half the house blown apart. I knew something big had happened as I had never felt such a big explosion before.”

Fire and Rescue NSW urged the public to stay away from the building as the scene remained volatile and unstable.

“The gas supply has been shut off at the scene of an explosion… allowing Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams to enter and search the area,” they said.

“There is currently no fire, but the scene remains volatile and unstable.”