Ken and Jane Ralph have been named as among those missing after Saturday's explosion on Pier Road.

Ken and Jane Ralph have been named as among those missing after Saturday's explosion on Pier Road.

The blast destroyed the building in St Helier at around 4am on Saturday morning.

So far, seven people have been confirmed killed and police believe two more residents are missing.

The names of Ken and Jane Ralph, aged 72 and 71 were revealed by States of Jersey Police on Tuesday afternoon (13 December) after the identities of seven others believed to be involved in the explosion were named on Monday.

They  are 63-year-old Billy Marsden, Derek and Sylvia Ellis, 61 and 73, Raymond (Raymie) Brown, 71, Romeu and Louise De Almeida, 67 and 64, and Peter Bowler, 72.

The families of Mr and Mrs Ralph decided to release their names as the recovery operation continued, police said.

During a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Jersey Police Chief Robin Smith said:

 “The families are being supported by specially trained Family Liaison officers.

The fatalities have not yet been formally identified. The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process must be carefully considered and managed in a dignified and compassionate way.

Therefore, we are not yet able to confirm if the fatalities that have been found at the site correspond to the seven identities released by the missing islanders families yesterday afternoon.”