A seven-year-old boy who died in an explosion in a residential street in Newcastle has been named locally, as his aunt described him as a “beautiful, funny and caring little boy”. Northumbria Police confirmed that a young child had died at the scene of the horrific blast in the Benwell area of the city in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Six people, five adults and a child, were taken to hospital following the incident and a man in his 30s remains in a critical but stable condition.

A second person has died following an explosion in Benwell, Newcastle, that destroyed several houses earlier this week, police said on Thursday.