The four-year-old girl who died in a gas explosion in Thornton Heath has been pictured for the first time.

She has been named as Sahara Salman.

The fire and explosion at a home in Galpins Road happened just after 7am on Monday.

Police, fire and ambulance crews attended and the body of a child was recovered from a building.

Two other people – an 11-year-old boy and a 54-year-old woman - are still being treated in hospital.

Sahara Salman's mum has paid tribute to her “amazing” daughter and questioned why the “gas problem has been neglected for such a long time”.

Sana Ahmad, in comments reported by the London Evening Standard, said the explosion was “like missiles were dropped on the properties”.

Following Sahara’s death a month before her fifth birthday, Mrs Ahmad said her family has lost its “pride and joy”, describing her daughter as “the most incredible little girl”.

And she said she believed the incident could have been prevented if people “did their job properly” – as she told how her mother identified a smell in the area on July 30, with a call being made to report it that afternoon.

A number of Thornton Heath residents, several of whom recalled a strong smell of gas in the prior two weeks, have expressed outrage over the blast.

A spokesman for SGN, the gas company, said this week: “We understand the local community has also been deeply affected by the serious incident and we’d like to reassure everyone we are working closely with investigators and assisting the emergency services.

“SGN will continue to have a presence on site in the coming days.

“Given the ongoing police investigation, we are unable to comment any further at this stage.”

Ms Ahmad said: “The saddest thing is that we tried to prevent this from happening.”

She said the “biggest question” is “why the gas problem has been neglected for such a long time”.

She had “so many plans in place” for her daughter, who was due to start school in September and whose new uniform was ready in the house.

She said: “This world didn’t deserve somebody who was so special. It’s our loss. She was the most amazing thing to ever walk this planet.”

Describing the day of the explosion, Mrs Ahmad said she had been on the phone to her mother, who was going to collect the children, and “within seconds she heard me scream because there was a big bang”.

By the time she got to the hallway, “Sahara’s room had collapsed already”.

She said her family did everything they could, with her father and brother pulling the other children to safety.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin of the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “On behalf of the Metropolitan Police I would like to express my sincere condolences to all the family and friends of Sahara.

"This is a heart-breaking time for Sahara’s family, but I also fully understand how much distress this has caused the wider community.

"People will want to know how such terrible thing has happened and everyone involved in the investigation is determined to provide those answers.

"We are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and our investigation is being full support by partners and local officers.

"My thoughts are also with those who remain in hospital, their families and all those affected.

"I know how much people will want to help, so please, if you have information and have not already spoken to officers, contact us.”

Acting BCU Commander for the South West Command Unit Supt Richard Smith said: “The thoughts of all of us at the Metropolitan Police remain with Sahara’s family at this terrible time and my heart goes out to all those affected.

"I know the shock and anguish that is being felt in our local community, please be assured we are doing all we can to uncover how this dreadful incident happened.

"We are trying to ensure the community is kept fully informed, please speak to local officers if you have questions, they are there to help you.

"We are also in regular meetings with our partner agencies to discuss what we can do to help people cope with these awful events.

"This will be a thorough and detailed investigation and I truly appreciate the support and patience we have already received from all those involved and affected.”