Pictured: Young woman trapped under the rubble of townhouse after freak explosion is identified – as the heartbreaking reason she was at the Whalan property is revealed

Rescuers have stepped up the desperate search for a trainee nurse who feared being trapped under a pile of rubble after a townhouse was destroyed in an explosion.

The massive explosion occurred on the second floor of the building on Waikanda Crescent in Whalan, in Sydney’s west, about 1pm on Saturday.

Jasmin Mhey, 30, was identified on Sunday evening as the missing woman believed to be trapped in the rubble of the decimated building.

Ms Mhey had been on the property to visit her mother, Mercy, who had ducked out for a while and returned to find her building completely destroyed.

As the search continues into a second cold night, crews sift through the rubble of the Ministry of Housing building, still hoping to find the young nurse alive – although experts have said she ‘needs a miracle’.

The horrific explosion could be heard blocks away, shattering the glass of neighboring buildings. Five other people were treated at the scene by ambulance crews.

Jasmin Mhey (pictured) was identified as the young nurse who had been missing since Saturday when she went to visit her mother and the Department of Housing building exploded

Rescuers have stepped up the desperate search for Ms Mhey, who is feared trapped under rubble after the explosion at Whalan, in Sydney’s west, that decimated the residential complex (pictured)

The front of the townhouse in Waikanda Crescent (pictured) is the only area not destroyed after the explosion just before 1pm on Saturday

On Sunday, police announced that the search area was a crime scene and officers closed the street.

Ms Mhey’s distraught mother, who has been keeping a vigil across the street and closely monitoring the search, told neighbors she had reported the smell of gas in the building and on the street in recent months.

Neighbors described the moment she returned to the house.

“She (the mother) was on her hands and knees screaming for her daughter,” a neighbor said.

“She didn’t want to leave, she sat here all night in the rain and the cold and said she wouldn’t leave until her daughter was gone.”

Since then, police presence in the area has increased, as dozens of officers arrived on the scene around 7:30 am.

Fire and Rescue NSW said a rescue operation was still underway in the area as firefighters, police and ambulance crews remained at the scene.

Fire and Rescue NSW Chief Inspector Ross Genders said rescuers have so far been unable to locate the woman, who is believed to have been on the second floor of the townhouse when the blast struck.

“We have a general area where we look for them and that’s based on the design of the building,” said Superintendent Genders.

“So we know it’s the back of the building where most of the rubble has collapsed.”

Rescuers use thermal imaging cameras and specialized microphones to aid the search.

NSW Search and Rescue Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said despite the “total destruction” of the property, a person trapped during the damage could still survive.

“It’s still within a survivable period and that’s why the focus is on that [the] attempt [is] to really explore the building as thoroughly as possible,” he said.

Commissioner Fewtrell said no further ‘ticking’ sounds have been heard since the first sounds were detected on Saturday afternoon.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Police for further comment.

Rescuers (pictured) are still searching for the woman after firefighters heard ‘cranes’ and sounds coming from under the rubble of the collapsed building, which they say is a sign the woman is still alive.

Police announced that the search area is now a crime scene and that officers have closed the street (photo police tape near the search area)

The explosion hit the second floor of the mansion, causing the house to collapse (photo)

Initial indications suggest the explosion may have been the result of a gas leak, but the actual cause has yet to be officially determined.

On Saturday, emergency services responded to a call about an explosion that had ‘blown out’ a level of the unit.

Windows were smashed during the explosion and witnesses heard screaming.

Paramedics treated five people after suffering injuries from the explosion.

Two women were rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building: a woman in her 60s and another woman in her 70s who uses a wheelchair.

The two women were taken to hospital in St George and Hawkesbury but have since been released.

Another 12 people from surrounding homes were evacuated as nearby houses and apartment buildings were damaged.

Ambulance NSW told Daily Mail Australia five people were taken to hospital following the blast: three were taken to Mount Druitt Hospital and a further three to the Hawkesbury District District Health Service. Their current circumstances are unknown.

Another person was treated at the scene.

Daily Mail contacted the Western Sydney Local Health District for further comment.

Police have closed access to the street and an increased police presence has been observed in the area since 7.30am on Sunday (photo of police officers on site on Saturday)

Emergency services (pictured) braved heavy rain and cold and worked overnight in a bid to find the woman trapped under the rubble

Emergency services braved heavy rain and cold and worked through the night in an attempt to find the woman trapped under the rubble.

Search and rescue efforts were hampered late Saturday afternoon due to bad weather.

The building was reduced to a pile of rubble and the sound of the explosion could be heard several kilometers away.

Fire, ambulance, HAZMAT, police, gas and energy personnel were only able to enter the building on Saturday afternoon after the gas supply to the area was shut off, which took several hours.

FRNSW teams trained in urban search and rescue operations using concrete cutters to clear the rubble have recovered a small dog from units being cared for on site.

The house suffered ‘major damage’, which also affected a neighboring home, police said Sydney Morning Herald.

Properties, including apartment buildings nearby (pictured), were also damaged after the mansion collapsed

Fire brigade (photo), ambulances, HAZMAT, police, gas and energy personnel were only able to enter the building on Saturday afternoon after the gas in the area was turned off

Fire and Rescue NSW urged the public to stay away from the building.

“The gas supply has been shut off at the scene of an explosion… allowing Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams to enter and search the area,” they said.

“There is currently no fire, but the scene remains volatile and unstable.”

Whalan resident Kathleen Morris said the sound of the explosion was tremendous.

‘I heard a big bang and the whole house shook. “Everyone came out of the house wondering what happened,” she said.

A resident told the Courier mail that the explosion “rocked my house four blocks away.”

Residents said the explosion was ‘huge’, while others living in suburbs several kilometers away also felt the quake (pictured the rubble of the collapsed townhouse in Whalan).

One person on social media said they heard the blast from their yard in Lethbridge Park, 2.5 km away, while another said they heard the blast 9.4 km away in St Clair.

Terry Fisher, who was working around the corner at the time, told the publication that he ran to the unit block when he heard a loud bang.

“I was working around the corner and heard a very loud explosion,” he said. “The house I was in, two blocks away, was shaking.”

“It was definitely a shock to see half the house blown apart. I knew something big had happened because I had never felt such a big explosion before.”