Skip to content

Man 'suffocated in debris' after house explosion

Liam Barnes
BBC News, Nottingham
Nottinghamshire Police David Howard is pictured looking at the camera. He is wearing a hat, blue shirt and pink bow tieNottinghamshire Police
A criminal investigation into the events surrounding David Howard's death is continuing

A man who died after a house exploded in Nottinghamshire suffocated in the rubble, an inquest has heard.

David Howard's body was pulled from his property after the blast in John Street, Worksop, on 12 April.

An inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Friday heard a post-mortem examination was carried out, with a provisional cause of death recorded as "positional asphyxia whilst entrapped beneath collapsed building debris".

The hearing was adjourned as a police investigation into a gas leak remains ongoing.

PA Media John Street Worksop aerial view with the debris of a house strewn across a streetPA Media
Emergency services were called to John Street in Worksop on 12 April

Mairin Casey, senior coroner for Nottinghamshire, said the inquest would resume at a later date as "this case remains subject to a criminal investigation".

She also offered "sincere condolences" to Mr Howard's family.

A man who was arrested on suspicion of murder after the explosion was released with no further action on 18 June.

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.

More on this story
Related internet links