LONDON (AP) — Rescuers searching the scene of an explosion at an apartment building on the English Channel island of Jersey said Sunday they expected to recover more bodies after three people were confirmed dead. Around a dozen people are still missing.

Robin Smith, chief of Jersey Police, said specialist teams were continuing a painstaking search of the area in St. Helier, the island's capital, and warned it was likely to be weeks before investigations are completed.

A blast destroyed a three-story apartment block at about 4 a.m. on Saturday. Smith said the fire was “likely” caused by a gas explosion but it has not yet been confirmed.

Smith said the fire service had been called to the area the night before after residents reported smelling gas. He said police would investigate “whether or not there was a safety issue” with natural gas lines.

Authorities said Sunday that the search mission was now a “recovery operation” and they no longer expect to find anyone alive.

Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom located off the coast of northern France in the English Channel.

Gas supplier Island Energy said it is working with the fire service to “understand exactly what has happened”.