A 7-year-old boy has been killed in a house explosion in northeast England

LONDON (AP) — A 7-year-old boy has been killed and six people are hospitalized after an explosion inside a house in Newcastle, northeast England. Drone photos show the middle house of a row of six reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble with others badly damaged. After firefighters used hoses to put out lingering flames, rescue worker with search dogs combed the wreckage. Superintendent Darren Adams of Northumbria Police said the boy had died at the scene of the blast early Wednesday. The the six hospitalized people had “varying injuries.” Police said the cause was being investigated. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his department was “working with Northern Gas Networks to provide all possible assistance and support.”