DALIAN - Five people were injured in an apartment building explosion in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, Tuesday afternoon.

The blast occurred at around 5:40 pm in Shahekou District when a cook in the ground floor lit the gas for cooking.

The explosion was caused by a leaking gas cylinder, according to Tan Jun, deputy director of Shahekou District.

A Xinhua reporter who happened to be nearby said he heard a loud bang and saw at least three injured people after rushing to the site.

The five injured people, including a 70-year-old, had been mildly burnt or scratched by shattered glass.

A destroyed ground floor door, shards of glass from broken windows and chairs from an outdoors barbecue stand were scattered around the building, the reporter said.

The fire was put out by firefighters after they arrived at the building around 6 pm.

The leaking gas cylinder has been sent to local quality supervision department for examination.