My daughter was killed in a gas blast at home… six months later we are still sleeping on the floor – council don’t care
THE MUM of a four-year-old girl killed when her house exploded says the family are still homeless and sleeping on a floor.
Sahara Salman died when a blast sparked by a gas leak flattened the family home in Thornton Heath, South London, last year.
The August 8 horror forced 500 residents to evacuate but six-months on, the council still hasn’t found a “suitable property” for the victims of the Galpin’s Road horror.
In a statement, the mum of “shining star” Sahara, Sana Ahmad, said her daughter’s death was “a nightmare come true”.
She added: “My daughter lost her life in the very bed where she should have felt safe and secure.”
The single mum slammed Merton Council, saying that despite all they have been through, “we are still homeless and sleeping on the floor”.
The 28-year-old added: “It feels like we’ve been left to fend for ourselves.
“It’s unfair that we are being treated this way and left without proper support.”
In the week leading up to the explosion, residents had complained of smelling gas.
Southern Gas Networks – who later paid £500,000 to rehome displaced residents – were dispatched to deal with the leak on their pipes but never resolved the problem.
A week later, the house exploded, killing tiny Sahara who was only a month away from her fifth birthday.
She was discovered found amongst the rubble of the home.
Her mum said Sahara was in the box room when the blast happened, two other children were with Ms Ahmad in her bedroom and the eldest child was in a room near the garden.
But ever since the fateful day, Sana said the waiting process “feels like torture” and her family have been “left to suffer” as a result.
She told how her three kids and her had “lost everything” and they are still scared to go back to school, MyLondon reported.
But above all, they “miss their sister”.
Council leader, Councillor Ross Garrod, told MyLondon: “Since that tragic day, six months ago, the council has been doing everything it can to support those affected.
“Including Ms Ahmad and her family.”