improvement in a US hospital.

Carlton Perinchief remains heavily sedated and in a critical condition in the burns unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.

Mr. Perinchief, 37, suffered 90 percent burns after a gas stove exploded at his Crest View Road apartment in the early hours of August 16.

He was taken to King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital and later flown to the US.

Meanwhile, a Police investigation into the incident is continuing. A Police spokesman said evidence is still being collected and witnesses statements recorded.

Mr. Perinchief's 28-year-old girlfriend, who was in the apartment at the time of the blast, has also been interviewed as part of the inquiry.