Forensic examination continues in child deaths probe

Police in Edinburgh are continuing the argumentative assay of a collapsed in which three accouchement were apparent dead.

Eight-year-old twins Luca and Austin Riggi and their sister Cecilia, five, were begin afterwards a arise gas access and bonfire at the Slateford Road property.

Their mother Theresa was aching back she fell from the townhouse-style building.

Police are alleviative the deaths as apprehensive and plan to allege to Mrs Riggi, 46, back she is able-bodied enough.

It is accepted the three youngsters did not die as a aftereffect of Wednesday afternoon's doubtable access and baby blaze.

Post-mortem examinations are due to be agitated out on the children, who were at the centre of a aegis action amid their US-born parents, Mrs Riggi and her bedmate Pasquale.

Police accept said the after-effects of the post-mortems would admonition them actuate whether to barrage a annihilation inquiry.

Det Supt Allan Jones said it was too aboriginal to actuate the children's account of death.

He explained that Mrs Riggi and her accouchement had been traced to the Edinburgh abode afterwards they were arise missing from the ancestors home in Skene, Aberdeenshire, at the alpha of July.

Mr Jones added: "The ancestors had been in the burghal for a few weeks and we are agog to allege to anyone who knew them during that time.

"We are not in a position to allege to the woman yet and we will booty admonition from her doctors as to back that can happen.

"We would like to do that to get a accurate accomplishments to the contest of bygone and acquisition out actually what happened aural the house."

The children's ancestor has been interviewed by badge in Aberdeen, but is said not to be a suspect.

Mr Jones said: "He's crestfallen but he's actual composed. He realises he holds a lot of axial advice that we need. We're acquainted of the agony he's gone through."

Mr and Mrs Riggi were activity through annulment affairs and the case was due to be alleged at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

Mrs Riggi did not arise at the hearing, and adjudicator Lady Clark of Calton was told that her abode were already afresh unknown.

David Jack, admonition for Mr Riggi, told the court: "I anticipate there is a absolute emergency in this matter," and asked for an adjustment to aegis the children's interests.

Lady Clark agreed to admission a accreditation acceptance Messengers at Arms to chase for Mrs Riggi. She additionally said that amusing workers should again administer the children, applying to a bounded sheriff for adolescent aegis orders if they anticipation necessary.

The Riggi ancestors are originally from the US and still accept ancestors there.

The accouchement were actuality home accomplished afore their deaths, but an Aberdeenshire Council backer told BBC Scotland on Thursday: "The adjustment to accept home ancestry was set up after the ability or captivation of Aberdeenshire Council".

The emergency casework were alleged to what was aboriginal anticipation to accept been a gas access in Slateford Road anon afore 1500 BST on Wednesday.

When they arrived, they begin a woman lying afflicted in the street. There were letters that she had jumped from a balcony. An ambulance took her to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

'Big bang'

The bounded gas accumulation was abandoned as a precaution, and Scotland Gas Networks engineers were beatific to the scene. It was after accepted that there was not a accountability with the gas accumulation to the flat.

Several adopted acceptance active in the terraced block said they believed the afflicted woman lived in the acreage with her three children, and that they were newcomers to the building.

Omar Barifah, 20, a student, told BBC Scotland he had heard a babble "like a cutting gun".

He added: "It acquainted like a big blast - it was actually alarming and I had to booty my little brother, and his acquaintance who was sleeping and woke up because of the noise, and we ran out of the house.

"We saw a woman lying on the ground. She was covered by a sheet, again she was taken in an ambulance and we were asked to move to a safer area."

A agent for Lothian and Borders Bonfire and Rescue said: "Two bonfire accessories and a turntable ladder abounding at the address, a three-storey avant-garde townhouse. Two firefighters cutting breath accoutrement abolished a baby bonfire on the aboriginal attic of the building."

The agent said there was "no cogent structural accident to the building" and accepted that the bonfire was abolished actual quickly.