Eight killed, five injured in gas explosion in China

Beijing: Eight people were killed and five others injured in an explosion and fire caused by a liquefied gas cylinder leakage on Saturday at a residential building in the Chinese city of Dalian, local officials said.

The accident took place around midnight in the city's Pulandian District.

Firefighters and local police immediately rushed to the scene and the fire was put out at around 2:30 am.

So far, eight people have been confirmed dead in the accident, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The injured have been sent to local hospitals and are in stable condition.

The residents of the building have been evacuated. An investigation into the accident's cause is underway, the report said.