World

Blast at China apartment building kills at least one

By AAP Newswire

May 23, 2024

An explosion at an apartment building in northeastern China killed one person and injured at least three others, state media reports.

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Parts of the five-story apartment building in Harbin were damaged, with one apartment's balcony completely blown off, videos on social media showed on Thursday.

Officials told local media that the explosion was likely from a natural gas tank.

One woman died of her injuries, according to Jimu News, a state-backed media outlet. The three others were taken to the hospital for their injuries.

Videos online also showed at least one person being carted away by first responders into an ambulance, and the streets were covered in debris.

Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred about 7am on Thursday.

Harbin is the capital of China's northeastern Heilongjiang province.

Gas explosions are a regular occurrence in China. In March, two people were killed and 26 injured after a suspected gas leak caused a massive blast at a restaurant in China's northern province of Hebei that ripped facades from buildings and severely damaged cars.

with Reuters